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This Vet Imprisoned for Digging Ponds on His Land Died. Now His Widow Continues the Fight.
The Daily Signal ^ | May 19, 2019 | Kevin Mooney

Posted on 05/19/2019 5:05:56 PM PDT by george76

The name of a Navy veteran may be cleared after he was convicted, fined, and imprisoned for digging ponds in a wooded area near his Montana home, to supply water in case of fire.

The Supreme Court has vacated a lower court ruling against Joe Robertson, who was sent to federal prison and ordered to pay $130,000 in restitution through deductions from his Social Security checks.

Any definitive legal victory for Robertson would be posthumous, since he died March 18 at age 80.

But his lawyers describe the Supreme Court’s action as a “big win” for Robertson’s widow, Carrie, who plans to carry on the fight.

...

Barack Obama’s Justice Department had prosecuted Robertson for digging in “navigable waters” without a permit, in violation of the Clean Water Act.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling against Robertson in November 2017 and denied him a rehearing in July 2018.

The Navy veteran’s initial trial at the district court level resulted in a hung jury and a mistrial. He then was convicted after a second district court trial.

Robertson was 78 when he was sentenced in 2016; he completed his 18 months behind bars in late 2017. At the time of his death, he was supposed to be on parole for another 20 months.

...

Prior to his conviction, Robertson operated a business that supplied water trucks to Montana firefighters. Because he himself resided in a “fire-prone landscape,” he was concerned for his safety and that of his property

...

Robertson argued that he didn’t violate the Clean Water Act because digging the ponds did not discharge any soil into “navigable waters,” .. The ponds are more than 40 miles away from “the nearest actual navigable water body,” the Jefferson River

(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Maryland; US: Montana; US: Nevada; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: 9thcircuitcourt; abuseofpower; agenda21; blm; cleanwateract; commoncore; deepstate; endangeredspecies; epa; esa; joerobertson; jurynullification; montana; navy; navyveteran; obamalegacy; obamunism; oregon; oregonstandoff; privateproperty; propertyrights; robertson; un; unagenda21; usfs; veteran; vietnamveteran; wotus
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To: george76

I was speaking in more general terms than this specific instance.


21 posted on 05/19/2019 5:44:03 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: Tammy8

Given the chance :: lefties will repeat the Scalise shooting by a Bernie democrat , like they did to this Navy veteran ..


22 posted on 05/19/2019 5:46:09 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

His only crime was implementing a great solution to a major problem without government assistance or permission.

The government doesn’t like people who are independent or off the grid because they are harder to control.


23 posted on 05/19/2019 5:49:21 PM PDT by Califreak (If Obama had been treated like Trump the US would have been burnt down before Inauguration Day)
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To: Rurudyne

You are correct..One of the Weissmann / Deep State tricks is to threaten to indict the target’s children... like General Flynn..

Muller’s pit bull :: Andrew Weissmann coerced people into pleading guilty to things that were not crimes : as in the Arthur Andersen trial.

The Andersen case was reversed by the Supreme Court (9-0) . Weissmann — destroyed Andersen and 85,000 jobs for no good reason .


24 posted on 05/19/2019 5:55:05 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: Califreak

The Deep State hates citizens who think & act for themselves. They want un-armed slaves = hence Common Core math & such.


25 posted on 05/19/2019 5:58:52 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

Hey. Keep in mind the Obama years were scandal free.


26 posted on 05/19/2019 6:03:30 PM PDT by lurk
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To: george76

Some sonsofbitches need to be shot for this kind of thing.

RIP Joe Robertson.


27 posted on 05/19/2019 6:05:06 PM PDT by MileHi (Liberalism is an ideology of parasites, hypocrites, grievance mongers, victims, and control freaks.)
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To: george76
"Early reports credited U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions with the axing, but Cotter said the directive came from a higher office.

“It came from the president,” he said. “There are 46 remaining U.S. attorneys from the Obama administration that are done at 5 p.m. today.”"

It doesn't sound like he was singled out for this particular case.

28 posted on 05/19/2019 6:08:08 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: george76

What does his vet status have to do with this? I agree it was an abuse of power, but his being a vet has nothing to do with the case.


29 posted on 05/19/2019 6:10:14 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (If we get Medicare for all, will we have to show IDs for service?)
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To: george76

The destruction of people itself, the power rush, is the only purpose too many of these people need. The Left is built on the basic principal that whatever is not permitted / licensed by the government is not lawful and everyone is a criminal if you look long enough.

Only sex and whatever helps there to be more sex (like abortion on demand) is off of the table for their common sense regulations ... well, that and madness now.

The Left as it is now constituted is what the Anticommunists of old were fighting to prevent, it has become every actual Cultural Marxist’s wet dream ... not just useful Idiots to bring down a nation and civilization but demented madmen incapable of sustaining even the most basic of human institutions or knowing which bathroom to use. They dance for anyone who wants our destruction, communists or race grievance warriors or the Muslim Brotherhood makes no difference to them.

Among the Woke twits with no power all that is bad enough, but with all these lawyers and bureaucrats they are the dry rot in the very bones of the nation.

Unfortunately we’ve only got leaders who want more dry rot or who think painting over dry rot is dealing with it. But the only way to deal with dry rot is to cut it out.

Being a Left winger should doom a person’s personal prospects.


30 posted on 05/19/2019 6:11:12 PM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: george76

Every American citizen needs to be educated about jury nullification.


31 posted on 05/19/2019 6:13:51 PM PDT by erkelly
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To: george76

Obama’s BIG (read Socialist) government persecuting an old man for the purpose of keeping you, and me in line. It’s what BIG (Socialist) government does.


32 posted on 05/19/2019 6:15:16 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists call 'em what you will they all have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: george76; fortes fortuna juvat
'Yes, please add me to the list. Most people in my neck of the woods (western Maryland) know absolutely nothing about Agenda 21 or the tyrannical powers of the corrupt EPA.'

I'm originally from Western Maryland and I know what Agenda 21 is. As well as the 9th Circus. Add me to the list.

33 posted on 05/19/2019 6:21:27 PM PDT by Viking2002 (Free James Woods!!!)
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To: george76

And Hillary waddles free.


34 posted on 05/19/2019 6:22:19 PM PDT by rhombus10
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To: DUMBGRUNT

“U.S. prosecutors win 99 per cent of the cases that go to court..”

I hope that works for Barr if and when he gets rolling.


35 posted on 05/19/2019 6:23:09 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Bonemaker

I hope that works for Barr if and when he gets rolling.

Such a pleasant thought, thanks.


36 posted on 05/19/2019 6:24:14 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT ("The enemy has overrun us. We are blowing up everything. Vive la France!"Dien Bien Phu last message.)
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To: rlmorel
"When conservatives talk about the punitive and coercive power of the government against its citizens when used to achieve political ends (and why we should speak out and fight this kind of tyranny) this is EXACTLY what we refer to."

BUMP

37 posted on 05/19/2019 6:25:28 PM PDT by Pajamajan ( Pray for our nation. Thank the Lord for everything you have. Don't wait. D)
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To: Vermont Lt

” I agree it was an abuse of power, but his being a vet has nothing to do with the case.”

Other than signing up willing to die for the filthy government that did this to him.


38 posted on 05/19/2019 6:26:30 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: george76

“The ponds are more than 40 miles away from “the nearest actual navigable water body,” the Jefferson River”

Typical government overreach. And since the penalty for the malicious persecution costs the bureaucrats nothing personally, they don’t give a damned.


39 posted on 05/19/2019 6:26:30 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Where does it say in the Constitution one person is entitle to the property another has labored for?)
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To: Bonemaker

It’s still not relevant to the story.


40 posted on 05/19/2019 6:33:40 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (If we get Medicare for all, will we have to show IDs for service?)
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