Greenpeace Members Plead Guilty, Sentenced for Climbing Mount Rushmore

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that 11 members of Greenpeace, Inc., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on January 4, 2010, and pled guilty and were sentenced for climbing Mount Rushmore as prohibited by law on or about July 8, 2009. The individuals charged in the indictment were sentenced as follows:

Noah Lassiter Mace, age 21, Chapel Hill, NC: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 50 hours of community service.

Mary Rebecca Sweeters, age 27, Chicago, IL: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 50 hours of community service.

Basil G. Tsimoyianis, age 22, Westport, CT: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 10 days imprisonment suspended on condition of 100 hours of community service.

Madeline Jean Gardner, age 27, Minneapolis, MN: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 10 days imprisonment suspended on condition of 100 hours of community service.

Matthew Joseph Leonard, age 30, San Francisco, CA: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, 27 days imprisonment with 25 days of that imprisonment suspended on the condition of 100 hours of community service.

Brian Carroll Jenkins, age 25, Helena, MT: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 50 hours of community service.

Simran J. McKenna, age 25, San Francisco, CA: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 50 hours of community service.

Jessica J. Miller, age 31, Flushing, NY: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 10 days imprisonment suspended on condition of 100 hours of community service.

Cy Wagoner, age 32, San Francisco, CA: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 10 days imprisonment suspended on condition of 100 hours of community service.

Joseph Martin Smyth, age 27, Albuquerque, NM: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 50 hours of community service.

Hope C. Kaye, age 23, San Francisco, CA: $450 fine, $10 fee to the Victim Assistance Fund, and 50 hours of community service.

“Mount Rushmore is a source of pride and enjoyment for South Dakotans and the thousands of tourists who visit it every year. These individuals used the monument to advance their group’s views, interrupting its operation and risking not only their own safety, but also the safety of National Parks Service personnel,” United States Attorney Johnson said. All defendants agreed to forfeit all interest in the materials used in the climb, including the computer, video, and climbing gear, as well as the banner itself. The investigation was conducted by the Mount Rushmore National Park Service Rangers and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Vargo.