Two Weeks After Stunning Verdict, Prairieland Defense Lawyers Filed Motions Friday for Judgments of Acquittal and New Trial,
Based in Part on Allegations of Juror Misconduct

DFW Support Committee
[email protected]

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX — Lawyers for nine recently convicted defendants in the landmark Prairieland ICE Detention Center protest case filed motions late Friday in an effort to overturn the jury verdicts reached two weeks ago. All defense lawyers filed motions for judgments of acquittal and, in the alternative, a new trial, based on Rule 29 and Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, respectively. Defense lawyers claimed the government failed to enter evidence that supported a conviction on the alleged charges. The lawyers collectively argued that a conviction must be vacated where no rational juror could find each element beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a standard that ensures convictions are based on evidence and not speculation.

On March 13, nine Prairieland defendants—Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Meagan Morris (cooperating defendant), Maricela Rueda, Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Benjamin “Champagne” Song, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto—were convicted of numerous federal charges, including riot, material support for terrorism, possession and conspiracy to use explosives, and conspiracy to conceal documents. Song was found guilty of attempted murder for allegedly shooting an Alvarado police officer.

Song’s lawyer, Phillip Hayes, challenged his client’s attempted murder verdict. “The intent to kill is disproven by the evidence that Benjamin Song intentionally fired into the ground and not in the direction of any individual, but the government investigators failed to photograph, preserve, or test any of the evidence that these ground-strikes occurred,” Hayes argued in a motion for judgment of acquittal. “There were thousands of photographs taken during this investigation, but none of the bullet strikes on the concrete,” Hayes continued. “In this particular count, it is incumbent on the government to prove intent to murder—not intent to shoot or even intent to harm, but instead the specific intent to murder—that was not done in this case.”

Tailim Song also filed a separate motion for a new trial on behalf of Benjamin Song, arguing Brady violations and a due process failure to preserve exculpatory evidence. A Brady violation, based on the 1963 Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, occurs when prosecutors conceal exculpatory evidence favorable to the defense. In this case, the government failed to inform defendants that Lt. Thomas Gross, the Alvarado police officer who was allegedly injured at the noise demonstration, was the first one to draw a weapon that night. The defense also first learned during trial that crime-scene investigators did not take photographs of the alleged bullet strikes into the ground that the government relied on to argue direction of fire, trajectory, and intent. Tailim Song argued that the government “had a duty to disclose the omission in time for the defense to use it,” and called on the court to, at minimum, hold a “bad faith” evidentiary hearing to address potential Brady violations.

Also notable was the motion for a new trial filed by Batten’s attorney, Christopher Tolbert, on the grounds that juror misconduct and irregularities during jury deliberations compromised the integrity of the verdict and deprived Batten (and other defendants) of a fair trial. Tolbert noted that there was “a loud and sustained disturbance emanating from the area of the jury room,” which was observed by several people on the day the verdict was reached. Based on information obtained after the verdict, Tolbert stated in his motion, “there is reason to believe that jurors engaged in a heated confrontation inside the jury room and that certain jurors may have been subjected to intimidation or coercion during deliberations.” Juror misconduct is a legally proper reason for granting a new trial.

“Because there is credible evidence that the jury’s deliberative process was disrupted by misconduct and possible coercion, and because such conduct creates a reasonable probability that the verdict was affected,” Tolbert continued, “the Court should grant a new trial in the interest of justice.” At a minimum, Tolbert said, “the Court should conduct an evidentiary hearing and permit examination of jurors to determine the extent and impact of the misconduct.” When credible allegations arise that the jury’s deliberative process may have been affected by improper influence or misconduct, the appellate court has made clear the trial court has an affirmative duty to investigate and ensure the integrity of the verdict, requiring the involvement of all parties in a properly conducted hearing.

Despite the sinister charge of conspiracy to use and carry explosives, evidence showed that the so-called explosives were nothing more than consumer grade fireworks. The motion filed on behalf of Ines Soto argued that the fireworks did not result in damage to the detention center and, in fact, “the initial investigation viewed the fireworks so inconsequentially that they were left in the field when the crime scene was released and were retrieved late the next day.”

Lawyers for Maricela Rueda argued in her post-verdict motion that, “where the record demonstrates that the jury’s deliberative process was compromised, that prejudicial evidence was improperly introduced, or that the proceedings as a whole deprived the defendant of a fair trial, the Court not only has the authority, but the obligation to grant a new trial in the interest of justice.”

Backing up that claim, Rueda’s lawyers emphasized that the government introduced extensive evidence regarding ‘Antifa,’ including “generalized alleged ideology, historical materials, literature, and an expert whose testimony framed Antifa as a dangerous movement.” The Fifth Circuit, which reviews cases from the Northern District of Texas where the trial took place, has repeatedly cautioned against the admission of evidence that invites conviction based on ideology rather than conduct, yet the trial was “saturated with evidence designed to evoke fear, political bias, and guilt by association,” according to Rueda’s lawyers.

Lawyers for Sanchez Estrada, who was accused of transporting and concealing First Amendment-protected material consisting entirely of “literature and expressive content that was not evidence of any crime,” argued in their post-verdict motion that “no link of the materials found in Mr. Sanchez’s home, vehicle, or box was ever established to any codefendant’s case.”

US District Court Judge Mark Pittman is expected to rule on the post-verdict defense motions in the coming days.

The Prairieland cases, involving 19 people charged with both state and federal charges, stem from a noise demonstration in solidarity with detainees at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025. After the protest, an officer with the Alvarado Police Department allegedly became involved in an exchange of gunfire soon after arrival. The officer sustained minor injuries, and was reportedly released from the hospital shortly afterwards. Authorities have still not provided hospital records to justify these claims, eight months later. Alvarado police arrested ten people in the area, and a manhunt ensued in the subsequent days for another defendant. Nine more defendants were arrested in the days, weeks, and months following the protest.

WHAT: Letter-writing
WHEN: Saturday, April 4th, 2026 1:00-3:00pm
WHERE: Property Is Theft (P.I.T.) (411 South 5th Street, Brooklyn 11211)
Access: Quick ramp setup; bathroom not accessible
COST: FREE (Donations to cover the cost of stamps greatly appreciated)

Join NYC Anarchist Black Cross on the International Day of Solidarity with the Prairieland Defendants, for a letter writing to eight of the nine* who were found guilty on most counts when their less-than-3-week trial ended on March 13. All writing materials and vegan snacks will be provided!

*According to available documents, Meagan Morris* initially cooperated, requesting interviews with law enforcement and providing information on other defendants that led to their subsequent arrests. As a result, NYC ABC does not support her.

Learn more and donate at prairielanddefendants.com

* More on Morris’ cooperation from Prairieland Support Committee.
For public documents related to the Meagan’s early interactions with law enforcement please see:
Federal Complaint – Morgan
Federal Complaint – Sanchez Estrada
Federal Complaint – Arnold, Et al

by George Floyd Uprising former political prisoner Richard Hunsinger

Support the non-cooperating Prairieland defendants Autumn Hill, Benjamin “Champagne” Song, Daniel “Des” Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Dario Sanchez, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, Janette Goering, Joy “Rowan” Gibson, Lucy Fowlkes, Maricela Rueda, Rebecca Morgan, Savanna Batten, and Zachary Evetts here: https://prairielanddefendants.com/meet-the-defendants/

Meagan Morris is currently supported as well and part of the collective defense effort standing trial, although according to available documents she initially cooperated, requesting interviews with law enforcement and providing information on other defendants that led to their subsequent arrests.

“A ‘rat’ is a traitor, a conceiver, planner or physical participator

He doesn’t sell secrets for power or cash

He betrays the trust of his team or his family hoping to save his own cowardly ass” – from “Snitches & Rats” by 21 Savage

We may say that people cooperate and have the right to, and that we also have the right to exclude them from our supportive efforts. The mutual hostility of right then barely conceals a real antagonism that has not been addressed in practice. When left to the choice of individuals, any ethics of non-cooperation is ultimately left to a matter of moral qualities absent the consideration of the conditions and social relations within which they are cultivated. Without this, the question of whether or not people can withstand the blows of repression has no content beyond their shapeless fears of what is to come.

This then leads the betrayals of cooperators to be excused by any number of factors in the situation, as if anyone would be susceptible to cooperate if they had to endure the experience of the rat. The rat then becomes a tragic figure. Having to face their betrayal tugs on our heartstrings, and the tragedy then merely reflects back a farce upon us. We then cringe from the specter of responsibility that hangs over us. When we flinch before the facts of what must be done, anything becomes excusable, and basic facts of a situation become distorted. What is a typical night in jail for the many people who never talk instead becomes “torture,” because we must feel empathy for the coward who cannot stomach their own discomfort. The actions of the state to compel such equivocations from the captured lead to a horror of any means of coercion at all, yet this is precisely the necessity with which we are confronted. It is then not a matter of abstract individuals possessing more or less intrinsic qualities, but the contention of a balance of forces in struggle.

It cannot be said then that the rat deserves “nothing.” Such actions require responses for our own protection, for our own longevity. The baseline hatred and disgust for the rat is the ambient recognition of this necessity of survival in a struggle against a society of hostile relations. This task cannot be managed by any mutual respect for the rights of individuals. In a political movement, we simply cannot do whatever we want. For any concerns of authoritarianism, there is no greater assertion of the authoritarian personality than the singular and unilateral declaration that one’s own life is worth more than another facing repression and deciding instead to send others to prison to save your own skin. The rat makes a wager: “maybe the state will take less of my life-time if I give them the means of taking the life-time of others.” It is the very logic of competition that emanates from the essence of capitalist social relations. The rat then creates a situation in which a contrary force must match this threat. Authority is then not the problem in itself. It is rather a problem of an antagonistic relation that must be confronted.

There is then the necessity of creating the actual means of developing behavior that successfully reproduces revolutionary movements, and suppressing that which threatens this development. The means of effecting this in a conscious and directed manner in our lives and relations is then a clear necessity. Against the asymmetrical force of the state, there is no room to maneuver if the actions of the cooperator are tolerated to any extent. Even the expression of empathy for their ordeal communicates a weakness that will be exploited either immediately or in the near future and simply wastes time that no one has. We then become enamored with the tragedy and turn away from the reasons of those who never cooperated to remain steadfast as they have, an immensely more enriching source of education than can be found in the motivations of a rat. In this very differentiation we find the foundations for a movement that will be resilient to repression.

A movement cannot tolerate any hesitation on this matter. We all must take note of who does balk in the face of the necessity of non-cooperation and insulate ourselves from their presence and influence. The means of support in the face of repression have to cohere into a definite political front and be leveraged to deter cooperation. A rat must not only receive no support, but must be subject to actions that demonstrate to all those who bear witness that betrayal has consequences. Anything less than this fails to recognize that the repression that faces individuals is but a single front in a struggle that pervades throughout the whole of social life. Supporting each other against this very repression negates that which separates us through conscious action upon these interdependent relations. As such, support is then never unconditional, for it creates a series of reciprocal obligations between partisans. Solidarity is the cohesion that arises from the recognition of this necessity put into practice.

Here is the latest compilation of every-other-week updates:
https://nycabc.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/31-mar-2026.pdf

NYC ABC, along with several other individuals and prisoner support
crews, now send hard copies to all political prisoners and prisoners of
war we support.

If you consistently mail the latest updates to a specific prisoner,
please let us know so we can insure there’s no overlap. The goal is to
have copies sent to all of the prisoners we list.

We’ve also been told that some prisoners are not receiving the copies
sent in, yet we aren’t getting rejection notices. If you are in steady
contact with a prisoner, please ask them whether or not they are
receiving the updates and let us know.

Free ’em all,
NYC ABC

[email protected]

ICYMI, here is an article from 2 weeks ago about the recent trial loss for the Prairieland Defendants.

The government won on most of its charges, including convicting defendants for moving a box of radical zines. by Matt Sledge March 13 2026, The Intercept.

A federal jury handed prosecutors a mixed victory in the trial of nine protesters for their roles during or after a chaotic demonstration outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility last July, convicting eight defendants of terrorism charges but sparing some of them on attempted murder counts.

The widely watched trial could serve as a bellwether as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to crack down on left-wing groups — and the convictions could encourage prosecutors to bring more such charges. A top FBI official said in December that the agency is now treating “antifa” as a major domestic terror threat.

“This is a sham trial, built on political persecution and ideological attacks coming from the top.”

In a statement posted online, a support group for the defendants said, “Everything about this trial from beginning to end has proven what we have said all along: this is a sham trial, built on political persecution and ideological attacks coming from the top.”

The Trump administration celebrated the verdict.

“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”

The court case centered on a nighttime July 4, 2025, protest outside ICE’s Prairieland Detention Facility that started with demonstrators shooting fireworks and spray-painting cars in the parking lot.

Signal messages obtained by the government showed that the demonstrators believed that less confrontational protests against ICE — such as one that had occurred earlier in the day at the same facility — were ineffective. Some of the protesters had brought guns, which is legal in Texas. A police officer responding to the scene was shot in the neck by one of the protesters, Benjamin Song, who had brought an AR-15 with a trigger modified for a higher rate of fire.

The defendants said the protest was a peaceful demonstration meant to show solidarity, pointing to the megaphone that one member of the group brought to shout slogans to detainees. Prosecutors pointed to the guns, ballistic vests, and trauma first-aid kits they brought as evidence of malicious intent.

Song was convicted of one count of attempted murder for shooting the officer, but acquitted on two other counts of attempting to shoot at two correctional officers. Song was also found guilty of discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Four other people accused of attempted murder counts were acquitted on those charges. Song faces up to life in prison.

In a significant victory for the government, jurors convicted eight defendants on material support for terrorism charges for wearing black clothes to the late-night demonstration. That use of “black bloc” clothing was an antifa tactic that assisted in the shooting of the officer, prosecutors said during their closing arguments.

The defendants convicted of providing material support to terrorists were Song, Autumn Hill, Zachary Evetts, Savanna Batten, Megan Morris [note: cooperating defendant), Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto. They face up to 15 years in prison on that count. (Note: Support for non-cooperating defendants’ information is at https://prairielanddefendants.com/meet-the-defendants/ )

The same defendants were also convicted of riot and two explosives charges related to the fireworks. Hill, Evetts, Morris (note: cooperating defendant), and Rueda were acquitted on attempted murder charges that would have carried sentences up to life imprisonment.

The prosecution of the Prairieland defendants represented the federal government’s first use of the material support charge against alleged antifa members accused of domestic terrorism.

The prosecution was the government’s first material support for terror charges against alleged antifa members.

The verdict came after 10 days of testimony inside a Fort Worth courtroom packed with family members of the defendants, law enforcement officials, and journalists.

Prosecutors called the wounded police officer and detention center guards to describe what it was like on the receiving end of a barrage of bullets, as well as four cooperating defendants who pleaded guilty before trial.

Another significant witness was a researcher at a right-wing think tank who said the tactics used by the demonstrators that night, including “black bloc” clothing and the encrypted messaging app Signal — the latter of which the witness said he also used — were typical of antifa.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Note: We do not support cooperating defendant Meagan Morris, who is featured in article. More https://prairielanddefendants.com/defendant-profile/meagan-morris/

We are concerned community members from the Oregon area, asking for calls to Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution (EOCI). The prison has:

Thrown Malik Muhammad, a political prisoner from the 2020 uprising in solitary confinement.
    It’s been days since they should have been released back to general population (Gen Pop)
Restricted Malik’s communication access
    Including access to their lawyer
    Mail has slowed drastically

This comes after Malik was in solitary confinement at Snake River Correctional Facility for over year, before suddenly transferring them to EOCI.
Demands:

Release Malik back to Gen Pop immediately
Fully Restore Malik’s access to communication
    Release all withheld mail
    Restore access to the tablet/calls
    Restore reliable access to Malik’s legal team.

Instructions:

You likely already know that the prison is not a place of justice, but a site of oppression, and struggles against it. Prison guards and officials may sound hostile or annoyed, lie, try to intimidate you, or ask you for information about yourself or prisoners. You do not need to give them any information about you.

Don’t believe their lies!
“They aren’t in solitary they’re in ABC.”
“I can’t take information without a name.”
“If you stop calling, we’ll do [x]!”

Remember that these tactics are a small fraction of what people inside face daily. Remain firm and polite in your demands.

Hide your name and number from the Prison’s Caller-ID, press *67 before the number you want to call.
    For example: *67-555-555-5555. You can test this by calling a friend using this method.
Using a VPN can conceal your location, but using one is not necessary.
    Proton VPN is free; free VPNs don’t have to store your payment information.
    VPNs won’t conceal GPS data from your device.
Do not answer personal questions or questions on behalf of anyone.
You do not need to offer further comment. You can hang up when they are done talking, or say “Thank you for your response.”

Information:

Weekdays work best for phone zaps.
CALL AT: 12PM, 2PM, 4PM

David Pedro, EOCI Superintendent: *67-541-276-0700
Jeana Jeffries, ODOC Recruitment Officer: *67-458-251-9137
Michael Reese, Director of Oregon Department of Corrections: *67-503-945-0927
Jessica Hale (Executive Assistant): *67-503-945-0978
Ryan Dwyer (Acting Inspector General): *67-503-945-0988

Sample Script:

“Hello, I am a concerned community member of calling to express support for Malik Muhammad #23935744. We have recently learned that it has been days since they should have been released back to general population from solitary confinement. Not only that, that they were denied access to communication, including contact with their lawyer. This is abuse and it won’t be tolerated. The community demands that Malik is released back to general population immediately, and their access to communication is fully restored. This includes releasing all withheld mail, restoring access to the tablet, and reliable access to legal counsel.”

NYCABC has finished the latest version of the “Illustrated Guide to
Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War” and it’s available for download
by clicking on the link below.

https://nycabc.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/nycabc_polprislisting_march-2026_legal.pdf

This update includes updated mini-bios, illustrations, and address changes
for several prisoners. Amazingly, this edition includes the removal of
Peppy. Welcome home, Peppy!

We are also adding Malik Muhammad, who has been incarcerated since the Floyd Uprising but is now receiving support from the ABCF.

Download the latest batch of updates from NYC ABC at
https://nycabc.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/17-mar-2026.pdf

Check out the list of books Casey has requested at https://bookshop.org/wishlists/56b98684a2c55d72748aa7fae7dfa536217a1b5f

This wishlist comes from Casey directly and will be updated. The list is also prioritized with the most important to Casey starting from the top.

Casey has also shared this list of interests for other texts: 

• Beginners chess books
• Drums and drummers (jazz, punk, metal, rock, r&b, soul)
• World history/indigenous histories of “North American” continent
• Ohlone and Miwok stories/history (Bay Area Native history)
• College football and NFL football
• MLB baseball
• Culinary arts (outside and inside prison)
• Critical prison studies/carceral studies articles
• History of revolutions (international)
• Palestinian history, political analysis, and literature
• Black philosophy and critical theory
• Anarchist and anti-state communist analysis and literature
• Autonomous marxisms
• Arab Marxist texts
• Historical fiction (19th and 20th century revolutionaries) & memoirs
• Irish national liberation struggle
• Analysis of 21st century “abolition” movement
• Analysis of George Floyd Uprising
• Liberatory pedagogy and teaching methods
• History of science
• Brain Games (word searches, crosswords, puzzles)
• Exercise and fitness in prison
• Books by Paul Avrich (anarchist historian)
  
  If you purchase books through other outlets please be mindful of the mail rules for Casey’s facility. You can send them to: 

Casey Goonan #24611-511
FCI Allenwood Medium
P.O. Box 2000
White Deer, PA 17887

After 15 years in prison, anarchist political prisoner Casey Brezik has come home!

He is adjusting well, and psyched about life, but needs help to get started.

Living expenses and basic needs can be difficult to meet without a job, connections and experience moving through this technology-driven, end-stage-capitalist reality.

Anything you give will help ease the labor and anxiety that anyone would be dealing with after nearly two decades in a highly-controlled, hyperviolent carceral system.

Donate: 

cashapp: $caseybrezik
venmo: @casey-brezik