Sherman Austin is an anarchist who admitted violation of 18 U.S.C. 842(p)[1] and was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 12 months in a federal jail, a $2000 fine, three years probation, and as well as other restrictions as part of a plea bargain. The law which he admitted to violating punishes anyone who distributes bombmaking information knowing or intending that the information will be used for a violent crime. The penalty may be up to 20 years in a federal jail[2].
This information, who Austin claims was posted on his website by someone else, is allegedly available on the Internet in other places. While the information on how to make a bomb may not itself be illegal (see Freedom of speech in the U.S.), the FBI asserts that the information was posted with intent for it to be used to commit a crime or terrorism.
Austin claims that he is not guilty and was coerced, by the government, into pleading guilty. Many anarchists consider him a political prisoner. Since his arrest, Sherman Austin has become a cause célèbre on the internet for anarchists, with many sites dedicated to "freeing" Austin.
His time was served in a federal institution in Tucson, Arizona and was released in July 2004. His mother, Jennifer Martin Ruggiero , is an outspoken advocate for her son.
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