Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Salt Lake City attorney seeks to assist in Ammon Bundy’s legal defense in Oregon

Ranching Standoff

Rick Bowmer / AP

Ammon Bundy speaks with reporters at a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, near Burns, Ore.

Another Utah lawyer is seeking to help Oregon standoff defendant Ammon Bundy in the federal conspiracy and weapons case against him set to go to trial in early September.

Attorney Marcus Mumford has applied to represent Bundy in his Oregon case, assisting Utah lawyer J. Morgan Philpot, according to court records.

Mumford has a private legal practice in Salt Lake City and has specialized in white-collar criminal defense work and commercial litigation.

He nearly was held in contempt of court in federal court in Utah in February for straying into forbidden testimony during his cross-examination of a witness during a fraud case, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. But his client ended up being acquitted of all charges.

Bundy, leader of the refuge occupation, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to impede federal workers at the refuge through intimidation, threats or force, possessing firearms in a federal facility and using or carrying a firearm in the course of a crime of violence.

He has said the occupation was held to protest the return to prison of two Harney County ranchers for setting fire to federal land and to demonstrate against federal control of public land. Bundy is one of 26 defendants indicted on conspiracy charges. One of them has pleaded guilty to the charge; another co-defendant is set to do so later this week.

Bundy's trial is set for Sept. 7 before U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown.

Late last month, Bundy's previous lawyers, Eugene-based attorneys Mike Arnold and Lissa Casey, announced they were no longer going to represent Bundy. Arnold cited his desire to spend more time with his family and focus on his Eugene firm as reasons.

Philpot is a former Utah state representative who was born in Molalla.

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