>> narrator: tonight... >> i'm asking you to follow me. and we're go make a hard stand. >> narrator: how one family's fight... the issue with the bund family started more than 20 years ago. >> an armed standoff in bunkerville... >> narrator: ...sparked a.. move. >> we did not anticipate the hundreds of militia people coming in, many of them heavily armed.nc >> i was coned it was going to go south. it was that close. >> this became sort of this rallying cry for anti-government extremists everywhere. >> narrator: ...and challenged >>e fbundy took ovemalheur national wildlife... >> that's exactly why we had guns there. they would respect us. anif we didn't, they would've tased us and hauled usp off dy wagons. >> our number one priority was to resolve the occupation.

peaceful they had armed guards at the gates. they had armed patrols.ey learly intended to defend their position. >> narrator: tonight on frontlinthe inside story o an armed uprising and a movement that calls themselves "american patriots." >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support is provided by the john d. d catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org. the ford foundation: working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. additional support is ed by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism. the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public the john and helen gleissues. family trust.

supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. >> i'm the son of a rancher. that's what i am, and i don't want to be anything more than my family established a homestead in the virgin valleyn in southvada in 1877, and theyegan to run cattle. i always dreamed about being able to ranch. but the federal government has turned its eyes, as modern conquerors, d focused on controlling the land and the resours. a

we aa dangerous time, and i'm not just talking about ranchers. i'm talking about all aspects of what this nation was built on. r: >> narrato when we met ammon bundy, he was facing the possibility of life in prison. he had been called a hero and a criminal, a patriotme ammon claimed he never wanted to be anything me than a rancher, but in 2016, he leadme the largest uprising against the federal government in a generation.

>> a modern-day range war is taking place rht now in bunkerville. >> cliven bundy's fight against the feds has ignited a firestorm of debate. >> dozens of armed federal officers are preparing for a showdown with a nevada cattle rancher.ch >> r cliven bundy... >> cliven bundy says other cattle ranchers were forced off the land, but he is refusing to leave. >> narrator: in the fall of 2013, ammon bundy's mily lost a decades-long legal battle with the federal government. they'd been refusing to remove their cattle from public land near bunkerville, nevada. and owed over a million dollars in fees and fines. for 20 years, the government had been trying to phase out ranching in bunkerville to deal with development and environmental issues. some ranchers shut down, others

took buyouts, but ammon'sfa ther, cliven bundy, refused. >> my dad said no. and when they come and said they're going to take it anyway, he said, "hell no! you're not going to take away what my grandfathers passed down to me." he said no. >> the issue with the bundy family started more than 20 years ago. ar >>rator: steve ellis was a deputy director of the bureau of land management, the blm,h whicgrants permits to ranchers to graze their cattle on public land. >> the u.s. government isge a hu landlord in the west. inherently there's going to be conflicts and challenges for us in maki decisions. blm was making a change in mr. bundy's permit. mr. bundy rejected that and stopped paying his grazing fees and that started th whole thing. >> the blm was threatening to

decrease his cattle operation to the point where there'd be nothing left. 't but ranchers canust stop paying their grazing fees. even as a form of prest, it's difficult to make the case thato if youpaying, you can still continue operating. so the only action the blm can take at that point is to impound bundy's cattle. clared a range war, and the blm finally sent in armed agentl to oversee the remf the cattle. >> rangers and agents from several federal agenciesre preparing to move against rancher cliven bundy. >> the bureau of land management came in and began to build their coeound, and it was built l a military base. i'm, you know, saying, "dad, i really want to be able to do somethg if you need me to do it." >> narrator: as the blm was impounding hundreds the bundys' cattle, ammon's brother david began filming government convoys. (indistinct voice on radio)ey

>>sir! >> narrator: when agents ordered him to stop, he refused, as hise older brryan tried to intervene. >> i am going to take him with me. >> okay, he's a grown man. he canake himself, okay, sir? this is your first choice, sir, to leave, to leave? i'm going to drag you out of the car, okay, here in a second. sir, sir, leave now. >> several men came down, threw him to the ground, and then they detained him and took him to the compound. bundy has left the area.ff. >> it was that night that my dad said, "well, i guess it's time for you to come." when dropped down into the valley, i couldn't believe what i saw. i pulled into the protest site, and, uh, there's, like, 40 or 50 pele there. it was quite amazing to see the people unite. >> narrator: as he aived in bunkerville, he found that ranchers from across the state

had rallied to his father's defense. >> this bundy family, no more than just a good ranch family. thers a good example of what they've tried to do to them right here, on this deal right here, only the people ha finally had enough. >> for the last 20 years, they've been after the g dguys. >> yeah. >> ranchers have been frustrated with the federal government forl a veryg time. they severely cut back the amount of time cattle can be on public lands. ranchers are always having to look over their shoulder andnd , "when is my ranch no longer gonna be viable?" the bundys are among the last ranchers in clarcounty. >> (chanting): no blm! no blm! >> narrator: as the crds grew, protesters confronted government agents. (protestors shouti) >> they body-slammed my aunt margaret to the ground. (shouting) and they tased me. that was all cght on video. and th that video went viral and that's when more peopl

started coming.er >> i was vy worried about the optics of it. i thought, "wow, this is not good.op i mean, thcs of this is going to be horrible." >> this skirmish quickly turned into an angry mob,nd protestors were hurt. >> then he tased me again. probably because i didn't drop on the ground. >> we always knew the potential that they would not cooperate, but we did not anticipate those large numbers of people comi in. >> in the past, we saw similar activities of prest. but what's differentbout 2014 and bunkerville is that a bunch of people show up to support cliven bundy who are not ranchers at all. >> narrator: cli contacted by a militia group from montana, who asked to come to the ranch. and on facebook, his wife, carol, called for militias from across the country to come and support them. that caught the attention of ryan lenz at the southern poverty law center.e track anti-government groupsnd extremist groups. we focusn both racial

extremism and anti-government en growing quite immenselyave in recent years. this image of ammon bundy tasered became sort of this rallying cry for anti-government extremists everywhere. >> i don't have to explain myself, because this is amica. and i want all... >> the first time i heard about bundy rancwas when the youtube video came out with the bundys getting tased and the aunt getting tossed by the federal agent. (gunshots) >> narrator: brandon rapolla, a llmarine veteran, runs a s militia in oregon.co >> t in as a militarized force against your citizen like this, thas when we the people, we say, "no, this is not what the constitution stands for," and we have to remind our federal government that we are the power. mi >> people are co in from out of state now to hold off the federal rangers and many are armed. >> we bring you now the latestwh from the bundy ranche the militia has arrived in support of cliven bundy.

>> within less than a 24-hour period, i got my gear ready and made an 18-hour stight drive down there. and you had people from all over the country.he and a lot ofeople that i met were prior military, were still active military, and special forces, in differentan ches. everybody had a purpose or a reason to come, but it was all based on the fact that they know somebody is being abused, and mething's not right. >> narrator: militias from around the country descended on bunkerville. >> the oath keepers, which is this group of former militaryso and police pernnel, the three percenters who believe that they are prepared to fight the federal government much like our, like the colonists were against the british. and so, bunkerville becomes this so of petri dish of anti-government extremist thought.u >> narrator: the burof land management watched within easing alarm as the situation escalated.

>> we're surrounded by people with guns, these hundreds of militia people coming in. many of them are heavily armed from around the country. >> narrator: on april 12, the blm saidhey would stop rounding up more cattle. but that wasn't enough for cliven.al he wantehis cows back. >> good morning, citizens of clark county, nevada (crowd cheers) good morning, america! (crowd cheers) >> cliven basically says, "we're about to take this country back. and let's go get my cattle." >> we're going to go and take the rest of them out of the compound corrals up here above the freeway. (crowd cheers) >> andoom, they're off! >> let's get 'er done! >> narrator: the bunkervilleng protest was becomin uprising. >> we're taking back our county, that's basically what's going to back our state.'re going to take >> narrator: aon and hundreds of protesters headed for the lot where the government had impounded the family's cattle. r:

>> nar we obtained video taken by law enforcement that day. >> narrator: some of it has never been shown before. >> they were all heading to this wash, where the main entrance was to the pen where the blm held hisattle. >> narrator: as the protesters converged on the cattle pen,aw enforcement officers fm a half-dozen agencies scrambled to hold them off. ng >> where you goio set up a triage area? >>ehind the vehicles over here. >> okay. i >> no, that's 'm saying. >> once we were down there,

th their rifles up.ng position >> we're aaid, because they're telling us that if we don'tgo disperse, theying to open fire, and that's what we believed that they would do. >> narrator: but the militias were in position, too. >> anybody who went there was prepared for the federal government to take lethal action. >> i was thinking of how serious the situatn had become, how we had a very volatile situation right then. >> northbound lane has rifles. with scopes. >> which one? >> northbound-- the furthest bridge. >> the goverent had snipers and the militia put in place counter-snipers.el it was a levf tension and borderline violence. i was convinced it was going to go south, that it was that close.

>> these swat teams knew these guys are out there,d, there to defnd they will whip your ass, we will die. >> bundy! bundy, come here! a >> narrator:the head of the crowd, ammon bundy confronted blm agent dan love, demanding he e.lease the family's cattl >> we're staying here until they're gone. that's what we're doing. >> blm, go home! >> what was going through my mind is, it is not worth it to have anybody hurt over 400ey cows that thad impounded at that point. so i told them to pull out. and to pull out now. (crowd cheering) >> narrator: the bundys and their militia supporters had l an armed standoff, in defiance

of court orders, and no one was arrested. they even got their cows back. >> the bureau of land management was trying to root my dad off his ranch for 30 years now. for it to unfold the way it did was absolutely a miracle to us. and amazing. >> they can gloat all they want. but everyone went home safe. and i also knew that eventually the wheels of justice would start turning, that that wase not d of it. >> narrator: the federal government had backed down. but it would spend the next two years trying to bring the bundys to justi. overnight, the bundys were thrust into the national spotlight. >> welcome to hannity, and this is a fox news alert. the federal government may have surrended in the battle against nevada rancher cliven bundy. (cheering) >> narrator: the discussion was as divided as the countrylf itse >> the law breaking rancher

named cliven bundyas literally put the bureau of land management in the crosshairs of sniper rifles. >> frankly, i thought there wast a lack of proportionhere by the government, and snipers and surrounding ur ranch and taking your cattle, none of it made any sense. nkerville happens, it is very much local battle and local relationship with the blm, but becae of the coverage it draws from the media there are other people who willy appropriate buand his cause and make it their own because it seems to support their larger message of o-of-control, tyrannical federal government. >> i'm worried about the lies that are told to us about the irs, about what happened in benghazi, and the lies that sold health care.ne i'm concthat the government is overreaching here. y>> i don't think in any cliven bundy wanted to be the poster child for sean hannity or the far right.k i don't th was particularly interested in any

given politicamovement. >> narrator: the bundys wanted to use their new platform to talk aut what mattered to them. their belief that public land shou be managed locally, not by the federal government. >> the fact isthe federal government have overstepped their bounds and taken... ys>> narrator: but within an interview with cliven making racist comments went viral. >> cliven bundy, it turns out, is a racist. >> narrator: the backlash was immediate. es >> conservattampeded away from nevadrancher cliven bundy. >> i believe those comments are downright racist.ey they are repugnant, re bigoted, and it's beyond disturbing. >> narrator: from then on, ammon would be the voice of the bundy family. >> the people have the power. we want to unite. we have the power.

(crowd cheing) >> ammon is smarter at not sticking his foot in his mouth. cliven stays on the ranch,ut ammon is slowly building up a larger network of supporters through the internet and other places. >> who has heard the story of what happened?ng >> he is begino export the protest across the interior west >> narrator: with word spreading on social media, ammon wasn demand as a speaker. >> so i began to pray and i prayed longer than i'd ever prayed in my life. >> narrator: he and his family. are devout mormo and ammon spread his family message with the zeal a missionary. he argued that under the constitution, the federal government has no right to restrict ranchers use of public land, even if they don't own it. >> if we didn't have the constitution, we wouldn't have the federal government. >> narrator: he was becoming a leader in the so called. "patriot movemen >> if people want to call me a

leader, that's fine, but i'm doing what every person should do, and it's that simple. >> narrator: in his travels, a ammon learned ofamily in eastern oregon whose battles with the federal government reminded him of his own. >> two-thirds of theay up on that mountain, where you see the snow, that's where our cattle are at... >> narrator: like the bundys, the hammonds were ranchers who repeatedly clashed with federalf cers over the use of public land. twenty yea earlier, their fight with the government received national attention. >> hammond has become a virtual martyr tny in the land rightsovement. >> narrator: in 2012, theon ha were prosecuted for settings fires that destroyed federal land and endangered people's lives. they claimed the fires were to maintain their grazing la and had spread out of control, but they faced a mandatory minimum of fivyears.

me the hammonds are longti ranchers in eastern oregon that had been charged with arson. their case went to trial in pendleton, oregon, and that resulted in convictions. ur >> narrator: thefound them guilty but the judgece reduced their senten three months for dwight,ne year for his son, steven. but, that didn't satisy the prosecutors. >> the law wn't followed. so, that matter was appealed and they were sentenced toea the fivemandatory minimium. >> two oregon ranchers must go back to prison for starting fires that burned on federal land. bu>> narrator: when ammon ndy heard the hammonds were going bage to prison, he was outrad. >> we hear about the hammonds. this urge just filled my whole body. i felt a divine drive, an urge that said you have to get involved.

>> narrator: so in the fall of 2015, ammon went to burns, oregon, a place, like the restth of harney county, at had fallen on hard times.ls chris brsed to be the fire chief here. >> i moved here in 1978. burns was kind of cool; it was the place i want to be because it was away from the big city and all the extraneous crazy stuff that goes on in the rest of the world. and so it was a safe and wonderful place to raise my kids. i thought. the economy wabooming. there were lot of people working in the mill. there were a lot of loggers,er a lot of ts hauling logs. ranchers were doing well. it was a nice place to be. j but now itt a graveyard of industry, and it's definitely not the same

but i love this area. >> my name is ammobundy. i don't live in oregon... >> the first time that ammon came to harney county, i heard on facebk, because we don't have a radio station here. >> if we were abiding by thetu conson, the hammonds would never be in the position they're in. if we're abiding by the constitution, these ranchers would be able toanch without being in fear. >> ie always been involved with the community, and i thought, i'm going to go out and i'm going to find out what kind of weirdos we got in our, backyard nu know? and then, ammon got up and started talking. >> (voice breaking): the lord was not pleased with what was happening to the hammonds... and i apologize for being emotional, i hopyou guys can get past that. nd of transfixed. and i was just

it's like wow, this guy is sincere. you know, he had found out about the hammonds and he had some real concerns. real cowboy.e danged; th >> narrator: ammon took social media, trying to bring attention to the hammonds' situation. >> what has happened to the hammonds will happen to more and more people. and it is that simple. and so i am asking you to comene to hcounty. we are to stand now and that we are to do these things now, we will not have anything to pass on to our chiren. >> narrator: ammon's call to action was heard by many of the same militia members who had supported his family at the bundy ranch. >> whei found out ammon bundy had contact with the hammonds, i contacted ammon and said, "hey, i uld like to help."

>> narrar: after the bunkerville standoff, militias t arou country had been energized, and brandon rapollarm an alliance with other groups in the northwest. they called themselves the pacific patriots network. >> okay, so, two mags of five. >> two mags of five for now... >> narrator: joseph rice leads a ppn chapter in oregon's rogue valley. >> ammon bundy has drawnn attent the abusesee by the thr-letter agencies in the management of our naturalur res. it started the discussion. it's why you guys are sitting here. (clicking) five rounds in place, transition to pistol, two round (ammunition and guns clicking) he >> i don't know any way to describe what happened to the hammond family, other than... i don't unrstand what country we live in when it comes to that. >> when ready... and commence. fire! (gunshots)

op>> there was a need for to be defended. (gunshots) >> cease fire, cease fire. >> narrator: two days before the hammon returned to jail, ammon bundy and the pacific patriots network organized a rally in downtown burns. >> on january 2, the bundys and his followers had organized a rally in support of themi hammond . >> where's idaho? (cheering) where's oregon?he ing) >> several hundred people showed up at the rally... >> we're gonna continue downth road to the corner where the hammonds live. everybody ready to do this? (cheering) t >> ...and they marchough (crowd singing "amazine")

>> narrator: the marchs stopped in front of the hammonds' home. (crowd singing) >> he most humbling experience that anybody could have. >> narrator: the march was supposed to end in the safewayt. parking but ammon had decided to take things further. >> after we rallied there in burns, what were we supposed to do, just go home? just say, "okay, look, you know, the hammond family will go to prison for five years"?u ow, what are the people, just to go home? we had to stand for them. those who are ready to actually do something about it, i'm asking you to follow me and go to the malhr national wildlife refuge. and we're going to me a hard stand. follow me!0 >> aboutles. >> it's about 40 miles! >> narrator: ammon and a small

group of armed followers raced out to malheur, taking their fight to government owne land adjacent to the hammonds' land. >> no one anticipated the malheur occupation. nobody knew what it was.ing it. nobody knew how it would end. e bundys would go.y knew how far >> a really bizarre anti- government prost is playing out on a remote wildlife refuge. >> armed anti-government protesters who've taken over a group of federal buildings.he police are keeping distance for now, hoping to ride this thing out. >> many of you have asked us for what is our name. and that would be citizens for constitutional freedom. our purpose is to restore and defend the constitution.d >> they med guards at the gates.ed they had aatrols that roamed the perimeter of the facility. they'd moved heavy equipment to block the roads. they clearly intended to stay and to defend their position.

>> narrator: but most of ammon's militia allies had stayed behind in burns. for them, taking the refuge was a step too far. >> oregon 3 percent is not the pacific patriots n is not going. we respect the patriots and the people that want to go out there and do that, but as far as oregon and idaho is concerned, do.t's not what we're here to >> us and ppn and oregon 3 percent and the other patriot groups and leadership said, "no, that's not what we're here for." >> i had no ea, i had no intention, that something this drastic would come from this. >> the burns incident absolutely separated the patriot movement. what happened inalheur felt offensive. it felt like you're taking the fight to them, rather than defending somebody else. >> narrator: ammon was left with a core group of supporters. many of them had been at the standoff in bunkerville. >> over the first initial days

identify a core group ofe able leadership who were active inng recruieople to come to the refuge and communicating with the press. >> narrator: one of ammon's closest allies at malheur was an old family friend. >> lavoy finicum. i'm a rancher in northern arizona. >> we were aware of who lavoy like ammon bundy, he was part of that leadership group.r: >> narrand like ammon, he had a following on social media. >> hello, everyone. this is lavoy finicum, one cowboy's stand for freedom. you want to pick on somebody, come pick on me. >> narrator: the occupiers braced themselves for a showdown, but the fbi raid never came. >> when aling with a situation like this, tactical paence is as important as a good strategic plan. newe had seen what had hapa year and a half or so before,

and the tension and escalation that occurred at that point. >> narrator: so the fbi heldd. back and wai the occupiers traveled regularly between the refuge and the town, and thauthorities made no effort to rest them. >> it wasn't easy.s itcounter to any law enforcement officer that you'll ever meet to stand by and watch someonbreak the law, clearly break the law, and be out touting the fact they're breaking the law, and not do anything about it. >> that's exactly why we had guns there. if whad them, they would respect us and allow us to speak. these lands, they need to be returned back to the people. and if we didn't, then theyha would dothey've done to protesters all across this nation. they would havtased us, they would have sprayed us with mace, ey would have put zip ties on us and hauled us off in paddy wagons. >> narrator: the standoff

hedragged on for days, and weeks, as the occupiers issued demands. some of them posted vide of the negotiations with the fbi. >> you're telling me these people are afraid to talk to us. how can we overcome that? >> well, maybe, first you could come out and look us in the eye, first, and you could give us your real first name and your real last name, and you could be hea true representative of people, and that would start. that would be a great start.er >> their demandsthat the fbi leave harney county, and that the control of not just the refuge but all federal lands in harney cou returned back to the citizens of the coun and/or the state. those are not demands that weould meet, nor are they agreement in any way, she or form with the interpretation of the constitution as has been determined by the supreme courtar over many, many >> narrator: the fbi had set up

a command post in a school, and the airport became a staging t area foractical teams and equipment. >> the sheriff, state police, and federal government all of a sudden escalated their force. then we realized, "holy crap." we needeto make sure that nothing bad s going to happen to ammon. >> nartor: the pacific patriots network decided to come o to the refuge. >> back up.al you guys won't blowed to come anywhere closer. >> narrator: they said they still opposed the occupation, attack by the fbi. to prevent >> as we have seen with federal operations in the past, we don't want to see a waco situation cur here at all. >> they were always armed, and they viewed themselves as a buffer between those who were on the refuge and law enforcement. i asked, "what do you mean by being a buffer?"i anver got a great answer. >> mr. bdy, to you right there, it is time for you to go home.au (cheers and ap)

>> narrator: in town, the residents were turning against the bundys. >> how was harney county impacted? it's like there was a big earthquake through the population. it shattered us. you know, it fragmented people, you know? there were families that were arguing over things, you kno and friends that weren't friends anymore. w and peopleere in fear. >> you people get the hell out of here. you don't own a god(bleep) nut, bolt, or nothing else here. >> narrato almost a month into the occupation, lavoy finicum told reporters that he sensed the fbi's mood shifting. >> the tenor has changed, and they have become more hardened.

and when they step out of their vehicles, now th're stepping out with their rifles. they do not intend on losing here. and we do not innd giving it back to them. r: >> narrahe next day the fbi saw an opportunity to end it. >> on january 26 the fbi had developed information that a significant number of the leadership of the occupation was going to be traveling from the refuge to a meeting in john day, oregon >> we knew the route they were t going ake, we knew the cars they were going to be in. >> narrator: two cars left the refuge bound for john dayil county, 90 m away. an fbi surveillance planell foed overhead.e ammon rode in thsecond car. his brother ryan, lavoy finicum, and a militia leader were in the

first. at the last minute, they were joined by two women, includi shawna cox. >> i wasn't supposed to be in that vehicle at all. ou i t we were going to a meeting, we'll be there for a couple of hours, and we'll beck ba ld >> you cout let the occupation go on forever.so he intent of this operation was to get them as far away from any populated area as possible. >> narrator: 30 miles down a twisting mountain road, the vehicles entered an area outde of cell phone reception. the fbi, backed by state police, made their move. officers pulled the cars over. ammon bundy was finally arrested. but in the lead vehicle, lavoy refused to get out. >> i am not turning off the vehicle. this is lavoy finicum. you want to shoot me, you shoot me. but i'm not going anywhere. >> they had unmarked vehicles. we don't know who these people are. and we didn't want to get ouof the vehicle.

and that's why i pulled up the camera. i was in defense mode. and our best weapon is our cameras. >> who are you? who are you?are you? >> oregon state police.. >> oregon state poli >> okay, wel i'm going over to meet the sheriff in grantco ty. you can come along with us and you can talk with us over there. >> no, you're going to turn off your vehicle. >> you can go ahead and shoot me. put the laser right there.hr put the bulletgh the head. >> i could see the laser on top of lavoy's hat. we were absolutely afraid for our life. >> you want my blood on yournd then get it done, because we've got people to see and places to go. >> right now you need to do what you're td. >> no, i don't. >> y need to back off. >> you need to back off. >> well, if we duck, and you drive, what are they going to do, try and knock us down?e how much furthert to go? >> we got about 50-odd miles. i'm going to go.

you guys ready? >> get down. >> then yoduck down. >> get down. >> go. keep going. >> what about ammon and those guys? >> we can't get around him.o i'm going to gt help. >> coming up fast. >> yh, they are. >> hang on! >> okay, they're shooting. >> hang on! >> go ahead and shoot me. (gunshots) >> lavoy finicum immediately pops out of the car. law enforcement engage him, and over a period of several seconds give him commas to keep his hands up, stop reaching, stop reaching. but he reached several times in his jacket, and was shot by law enforcement. >> damn it, are they shooting him? did they shoot him? you assholes. >> oh, my god! >> stay down.

stay down. >> oh, god! >> stay down. (gunshot) >> god, keep us safe, please. >> please, please protect us, god. >> please god, god... >> please protect us, please protecus, please protect us. we need help, we need help, we need help. >> did they kill him? (horn blowing) >> our most kind and graciousrt father who a in heaven, we come before thee in honor and remembrance of our beloved friend, your son lavoy finicum.

and we thank thee, o father, for his selfless sacrifice. >> narrator: the killing of lavoy finicum made him a martyr to his followers. of>> he had become a beaco light. >> narrator: but it was the beginning the end of the malheur occupation. ammon and his supporters were lonies.custody, charged with he and 13 others would stand trial in portland. >> we're not going anywhere, and we will continue to take our stand. governor kate brown is responsible for the murder of lavoy finicum, forhe murder of a cowboy. >> narrator: dory dae joined the patriot movement after lavoy finicum's death and ammon's arrest. she led daily protests outside

the jail where ammon and hisde fendants were being held for trial. >> i'm out here protesting today and every day against the federal government on behalf of our american patriots. >> narrator: federal prosecutors had imposed the most severe charge they could-- conspiracy to impede federal employees. >> the were not a lot of options in the federal criminal code for really addressing the conduct.nt there was no bluepor what to do when people take over a wildlife refuge. one could reasonably conclude that part of the reason that these folks were there was to keep fish and wildlife employeeg from dheir jobs. that it simply was not normal to have thousands of rounds ofli ammunition on a wi refuge in a workspace. narrator: the prosecuti entered over 1,000 exhibits into evidence, from wirets, electronic surveillance, and informants. their case seemed overwhelming.

>> it was unlike any case i've ever covered.>> any of you have asked us for, what is our name? >> you had an med occupation of federal property that was broadcast. it was documented on the defendant's own facebook pages. >> it is a time stand up and come to harney county. >> a lot of pele thought this was going to be a slam dunk conviction. >> narrator: amm's attorney, marcus mumford, came uwith a case on its head.the conspiracy >> all the way down. >> narrator: while the prosecution tried to focus on the criminal charges, mumford was making a political case. >> from very early on in the show they were protesting, ando they were not conspiring. the government's evidence was all about thammunition. it was all about the guns. >> the notion that you have this right, or it makes you me

patriotic, if you're willing to storm into facility with your guns, that isn't how it's done in this country. (gunfire) >> narrator: this video, the only one of the occupiers firing weapons at the refuge, was a key piece of the evidence for the prosecution. but in the closing days of the trial it was revealed that an fbi informant had overseen the shooting exercise.s >> it e of the turning points in the trial when we brought up this issue of government informants. there had been a government informant who, it appears, was specifically recruited andst cted to go to the refuge in order to get video of these guys doing violent things. >> narrator: the fbi agent who led the investigation fended the use of informants in the case.

>> there are strict guidelines. law enforcement is not allowed, nor would they ever send in ante informant to instigany criminal activity. one of the things that i think needs to be crystal clear in any event like this-- that law enforcement is going to use y tool in their toolbox that they can to bring a situation like this to a peaceful conclusion. the case itself from the government side was one ing. of course our presentation of the case was, this is government overreach. and the trial itself became an example of i >> ammon bundy! ryanundy! trial came to an end, rsn-week continued their vigils outside the jail.

>> narrator: then, in late october, a verdict that shocked the city. >> it was a pretty jawropping verdict. everyone has been acquitted. >> seven formemalheur refuge occupiers have been found not guilty. >> the jury foreman, he lookedd at me looked at him, and i gave him a nod. and that was the best i could do at that point for saying thank you. >> narrator: the jurors hadn't been convinced thecu tion was the conspiracy the government laid out. .>> we received the verdi it was surprising, in the almost two decades that i've been handling criminal cases as a prosecutor, it has gotten more difficult with federal law s,forcement like fbi agent because there seems to be, from our vantage point, more dirust of those institutions. >> the problem with the acquittals is that it seems the

bundys won twice. what it sa was that you can go in, terrorize the community around you, and walk away scot- free. >> narrator: but ammon's victory would be short lived. federal prosecutors in nevadaha finally filed their own charges against him and his family for the bunkerville standoff. and as the verdict was read, marshals were imere to takeack to face charges. marcus mumford started to protest. >> so i'm arguing with the marshals, and we're having this conversation about, "well, if you have the order, sh it to me, if not, he should be free to go." and at that point a marshal came up and just grabbe all of them surrounded me at the same time, put their hands on me and just, you know, started to pull my nds behind my back. then they put me down on the floor. i was on my belly. they tased me. they put the stun gun on me, and they hit me with it. >> narrator: mumford was arrested for creating a

disturbance in the court. the charges re later dropped, and ammon would be transferred to a prison in nevada. it turned out the fbi had been trying to build its case againsm n and his family ever since the standoff in 2014. shortly after the standoff had ended, the fbi infiltrated the family ranch. ng (phone ringi) hello, bundys. >> may i ask who's calling? >> okay, just a second, let me get to him. >> narrator: they posed as a documentary film company, longbow productions, and filmed over several months. the footage has not beenre broadcast beand we've concealed the undercover agents' identities and vces. >>his is ammon bundy. how are you doing? >> i don't know if you couldtt tell; there's a lile level of you know, uncomfortable, and

just wanted to make sure that we're all on the same page. >> so we looked you up online, and we found just a pretty simple website. i >> i thi've... got what il wanted, so i fa lot more comfortable abt it. >> i never did once think i'dif have to take a i was never armed. >> narrator: in the interviews,k they wanted w who planned the standoff, and who was in charge. >> so, at the circumstance, or just in general? >> my dad was really skeptical, you know, he really was.

then i end up basically talking my family into i and so, you know, they went to our home. >> can you hear me now? testing, testing. >> i thinkbout that. the whole time my mom's in ther cookr them, and they're plotting to destroy our family. >> narrator: the fbi also used its access to the bundy fami to convince militia members to talk. one of them was greg burlen, who had been at the standoff. >> right. on that note, i'd li another shot. (laughing) >> dead bodies, literally.

>> once we set up a perimeter, anything that comeinto the perimeter-- it doesn't matter if we're up at the bundy ranch, or if we're oute southern desert-- if it comes into our perimeter, if it's not a friendly, it dies. >> narrator: thebi declined to comment on the operation. but federal prosecutors usedso of the footage to help convict burleson of eight charges, including threatening and assaulting a federal officer.as heentenced to 68 years in prison. >> i can't tell you that. >> i can't tell you that. >> if we don't stand now, weds will never get our lack. >> narrator: the footage is also part of the case against the bundy family. >> is this an interview and a documentary, or is this an interrogation? that was basically our question.

>> narrator: as the bundys protesters gathered,deain this time, outsi the gates of the private prison in nevada where they were being held. >> truth is out and now we know, let the political prisoners go! >> today, it's the bundys; tomorrow it's you. >> today, it's the bundys; tomorrowit's you. (cheering) >> narrator: the bundys had galvanized the so-called "patriot movement", and channeled anti-government sentiment at continues. >> just as you granted a big miracle for us in portland. we know that you have miracles for us here. amen. >> amen. >> now if convicted, the buys faced decades behind bars. >> yeah, my dad's years old. it's a death sentence to him. you knowmy brothers, it's all of us. all of us will be dead before they let us go. as much as i hope that we are

founnot guilty, and i get to go home to my family, i don't think it'll matter. i believe that what we have done has made a difference, and will continue to make a difference. >> when tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty! >> whether we agree or disagree even with the bundys, we all are victims when this is allowed toe lace. when there is this kind of breach of the rule of law, wre all harmed. na ator: in november 2017, a surprise. >> ...ammon bundy is out of jail today... >> facing chges stemming from a 2014 armed standoff...to >> narra the judge ordered that the bundy's could be released while their trial was under way. trying to tell the wor that what hapned there was not what

the governments been saying happened.>> arrator: weeks later all the charges against the bundys were dismissed. ♪ ♪ hold, hold hold on to me ♪ 'cause i'm a little unsteady ♪ >> what's the situation there? >> how do you explain that? >> are you ready for this world that we are facing today? ♪ >> go to pbs.org/frontline for a special look inside the government's struggle to deal with the bundy's and the militia movement. >> you need to leave. that's, that's the terms... >> and i'm telling you, you need to deescalate the situation. >> no. >> and learn more about the self described patriots. >> and we have to remind our federal governnt that

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