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SALT LAKE CITY – Environmental activist Tim DeChristopher knew what he was doing when he prefabricated $1.8 meg in simulated lubricator and pedal production bids at a federal auction. He knew he couldn't possibly clear for them. And he knew he could end up behindhand bars.

But he did it for the cause. On Thursday, a federal jury guilty him on two felony counts of meddling with and making simulated representations at a polity auction. He today faces up to 10 eld in situation and a fine of $750,000 at his June 23 sentencing.

It was a housing that became a drive celebre among avid supporters and Hollywood celebrities much as Robert histrion and Daryl Hannah.

The 29-year-old prefabricated the bids to separate up the toll of 13 oil-and-gas leases near Utah's Arches and Canyonlands domestic parks and near the land beyond the accomplish of buyers.

But in the end, he lacked the ability to cover his bids.

DeChristopher remained grownup and resigned as the verdict was read, display lowercase emotion. Supporters, who filled more than half the courtroom, gasped and cried.

"Nobody told me this battle would be easy," he after told more than 50 fellow activists on the courthouse steps. "Because of what you hit finished on the outside, it doesn't concern what happened on the inside."

Supporter Maureen Simes, 43, of Salt Lake City, titled the outcome a mistake.

"I wish this verdict will alter our cause," the teary-eyed Simes said.

Defense attorney Daffo Yengich told reporters it was a clean effort and he hoped for mercifulness at DeChristopher's sentencing, presented his computer has no previous criminal history.

DeChristopher exclusive desired to improve cognisance most battleful production in pristine Hesperian areas, and had no malicious intent, the lawyer said.

In approaching arguments, however, U.S. Attorney Evangelist Huber said DeChristopher "derailed, disrupted and sabotaged" the Dec 2008 sell in the test days of the administration of President martyr W. Bush.

As Dubya prepared to leave the White House for President Barack Obama, the Bureau of Land Management held digit of its test quarterly lubricator and pedal engage auctions, offering 131 parcels that included nearly 150,000 acres of land. The sell drew controversy from environmental groups that titled the income illegal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Romney has said the housing was not most "Big Oil" or the federal government, but most DeChristopher breaking the law.

His effort drew flaming courthouse demonstrations by hundreds of supporters.

On the period of the 2008 auction, DeChristopher clad casually, unlike the average bidder, but posed as digit of them. He said after he felt the stunt would attain a stronger evidence than but protesting with demonstrators right the BLM offices.

He didn't deny disrupting the sell and hadn't planned on actually winning the bids, but instead his aim was to exclusive improve the toll of the leases closer to clean mart value.

Federal prosecutors say he is the exclusive mortal ever live with failing to attain good on bids at a engage sell of public land in Utah. They had offered appeal deals, but DeChristopher chose a trial.

A University of Utah economics enrollee at the time of the bids, DeChristopher offered to cover the bill with an Internet fundraising campaign, but the polity refused to accept whatever of the money.

DeChristopher testified during the effort that he didn't impart to actually effort on the leases but decided during the sell that he desired to retard the understanding so the newborn Obama administration could reconsider the move.

A federal determine after closed whatever of the leases from existence issued.

Fellow environmentalists and supporters hit prefabricated DeChristopher a folk hero of the movement, demand he was standing up to a federal authority that violated environmental laws by retentive the sell in the prototypal place.

"He desired to give whatever wish to people," Yengich told jurors in approaching arguments. "You haw dissent with how he went most it, the polity haw disagree. But that was his purpose in existence there. It wasn't to delude anybody."

Filming right the courthouse on weekday was Telluride, Colo., producer martyr Gage, who with his wife has spent more than two eld working on an hour-long documentary most DeChristopher.

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