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Oregon standoff over, court appearances begin

Posted at 6:50 AM, Feb 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-12 14:22:29-05

The last four militia members who were holed up at the Malheur National Refuge in Oregon for 41 days are expected to appear in court today.

The last of the occupiers surrendered to the FBI on Thursday after the FBI began moving in on Wednesday.

Their surrender was live streamed on YouTube just like a previous dramatic phone call on Wednesday night that has been listened to by more than 1 million people.

David Fry, Jeff Banta and Sean and Sandra Anderson, who are married, are facing federal conspiracy chargers.

12 other occupiers who were arrested earlier in the month are facing the same charges.

The group was led by Ammon Bundy, who is the son of Cliven Bundy. Ammon was arrested on Jan. 26 during a traffic stop as he and others were headed to a community forum. Ryan Bundy was also arrested and Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was killed during the encounter.

Cliven Bundy is the Nevada rancher who got into a fight of his own with the Bureau of Land Management over grazing fees in 2014.

The elder Bundy was also arrested on Wednesday when he rushed to Oregon in support of the remaining occupiers.

Cliven Bundy appeared in an Oregon courtroom on Thursday to face six charges stemming from the 2014 incident. He requested a public defender at the time and was told that he would need to provide a financial affidavit.

A detention hearing was scheduled for next Tuesday and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for next Friday.

13 Action News spoke to his daughter-in-law in Bunkerville on Thursday. She says that the government is out to get Cliven Bundy because he is educated and speaks his mind and stands up for his right.

If Cliven Bundy is convicted of all six charges, he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Federal authorities have also arrested seven other people in six states who are accused of being involved in the occupation in some manner. The wildlife refuge will be closed for weeks as bomb squads sweep the buildings for explosives and evidence is recovered.

The FBI is crediting Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore and Rev. Franklin Graham with helping the standoff to finally end peacefully.