2 Convicted Of Conspiracy In Trial Of Second Group Of Oregon Occupiers

Enlarge this image toggle caption Multnomah County Sheriff's Office via AP Multnomah County Sheriff's Office via AP

Two of the armed occupiers who took over a wildlife refuge last year have been convicted on felony conspiracy charges, member station Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.

Two other participants in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon were found guilty on lesser felonies.

Member station Oregon Public Broadcasting has extensive coverage of the Malheur occupation and its consequences. You can find it all at OPB.org/ThisLand.

The four men — Jason Patrick and Darryl Thorn, Jake Ryan and Duane Ehmer — were all charged with conspiring to keep federal employees from doing their jobs. Patrick and Thorn were found guilty of that crime, while Ryan and Ehmer were convicted on lesser charges.

All four occupiers were seen as "less prominent players" in the 41-day occupation of the refuge, compared with other participants, OPB's Conrad Wilson reports.

The actual leaders of the occupation, including brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, went to trial last year — and, in a surprising verdict, were all found not guilty of conspiracy.

The verdicts announced on Friday mark a "stark contrast" to that trial, Wilson writes.

Wilson has more on the latest trial: