Michael Walli, Sister Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed were sentenced Wednesday in Federal Court in Knoxville on charges of sabotage at the Oak Ridge Y-12 facility. Sister Rice, a nun, was sentenced to serve 35 months in prison. Walli and Boertje-Obed were each sentenced to serve 62 months in prison. All three will serve three years supervised release upon their release from prison. Additionally, these individuals were ordered to pay $52,953 in restitution to the Department of Energy.
They were convicted in May 2013, of one count of injuring national defense premises (the Y-12 National Security Complex) with the intent to interfere with the national defense of the United States, and another count of depredation against property of the United States.
On July 28, 2012, in the middle of the night, the three intruded upon the Y-12 National Security Complex. They used bolt cutters and cut through three highly-sensitive security fences and made their way to the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility (HEUMF), which houses weapons-grade uranium. They splashed human blood and painted slogans on the exterior wall of the HEUMF.
Agencies participating in the investigation of the charges included the U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Theodore represented the United States.
U.S. Attorney Bill Killian commended the sentences and said he hoped it would send a strong message. “The Y-12 National Security Complex plays a critical role in our country’s national defense. People cannot take the law into their own hands and unlawfully intrude upon sensitive government facilities. Those who violate the law and compromise the security of the Y-12 National Security Complex will be vigorously prosecuted.”