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A local activist who handed out a protective face shield to protesters during demonstrations against the Trump administration’s chaotic migrant attacks was charged on Wednesday by the Federal Jury.
Alejandro Orellana, a 29-year-old member of the Boyle Heights-based community organization Centro CSO, faces accusations of conspiracy and civil disability support and betrayal, court records show.
According to the indictment, Olerana and at least two people drove downtown LA in a pickup truck distributing uvex bionic face shields and other items to protesting crowds near the federal building on Los Angeles Street on June 9.
Prosecutors argue that Olerana was supporting protesters who endured non-fatal ammunition not being deployed by Los Angeles police officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies after the illegal legislature was declared.
Orelana is scheduled for court on Thursday morning. Emails to his federal public defense attorney seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Our atty. Bill Essayri, a former California Congressman appointed by President Trump, has pledged to proactively prosecute U.S. immigration and customs enforcement businesses or those who interfere with harm during the protests.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Office said federal prosecutors filed at least 23 cases related to the demonstration last month, with the essay pledging more people to be charged. At least one of these cases has been dismissed, with some being retaken as misdemeanors, records show.
Asked at a press conference last month that distributing defensive devices is a crime, the essay claimed that Orelana specifically handed out supplies to violent protesters.
“He wasn’t handing masks on the beach… They’re covering their faces. They’re wearing backpacks. These were not peaceful protesters,” he said. “They didn’t carry any signs with a political message. They started to engage in violence.”
The essay explained who remained at the protest scene after the illegal rally was declared as “rioters,” saying peaceful protesters “do not need a facial shield.”
Orellana, who works for the United Parcel Service, has no criminal history and previously served in the US Marine Corps, according to fellow Centro CSO Carlos Montes.
Montes believes the essays are specifically targeting Centro CSOs for their pro-immigration efforts, and says FBI agents seized another member’s mobile phone last week as part of an investigation into Orellana.
“That’s a ridiculous accusation. We’re asking them to drop the fees now. They’re insignificant, ridiculous,” Montes said. “The most common thing was he handed out personal protective equipment, including water boxes, hand sanitizer and snacks.”
A US Marine Corps spokesman did not immediately respond to Olerana’s request for service records.
Montez also challenged the essay’s claim that peaceful protesters don’t need protective gear, pointing to countless cases of people seriously injured in recent years by Los Angeles police and county sheriff’s deputies.
In an investigation last month, protesters insisted that Los Angeles Police Department officials control rubber rounds and other crowds in recent weeks without warning, highlighting incidents in which protesters and media members suffered fractures, concussions and other severe harm.
Times staff writer Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.
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