A radical environmentalist and former fugitive who pleaded guilty to multiple firebombings in Oregon will serve more than two years in prison on federal arson and conspiracy charges.
Tre Arrow, 34, was formally sentenced on August 12, 2008, for destroying concrete-mixing trucks at a Portland-based mining company in April 2001 and setting fire to logging trucks near Mount Hood in June 2001.
The FBI claims Arrow was acting on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), the most active environmental extremist movement in the U.S. Upon his release from prison, Arrow will be prohibited from having contact with members of ELF and its animal-rights affiliate, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).
Arrow, who legally changed his name from Michael J. Scarpitti in 2000, was arrested in British Columbia in March 2004 after trying to steal bolt cutters from a home improvement store in Victoria. He served four years in a Canadian prison for shoplifting and was extradited to the U.S. in February.
During a federal hearing in June, Arrow agreed to serve a 78-month prison term on two counts of arson, with credit for the time he served in Canada. He will spend the remainder of his sentence in a medium-security federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon.
Arrow announced his intention to accept the plea deal on his Web site in May, noting that his cooperation did not entail assisting in investigations against others: "I am in no way selling my soul just to receive a sweet deal from the prosecution. By this I mean I am not giving them any information about anyone or any thing which could lead to others being prosecuted."
Arrow has sought to bring attention to environmental causes for many years; in 2000 he spent 11 days on the 30-foot high ledge of the U.S. Forest Service building in Portland in protest against logging. His record of environmentalism includes several other high-profile stunts, multiple arrests, and a Pacific Green Party Congressional run that garnered nearly 16,000 votes.
Prior to his 2004 arrest, Arrow had been on the FBI's most-wanted list for more than 19 months.
