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SALT LAKE CITY – A prosecutor is telling jurors in Salt Lake City that a Negro staleness be chastened for the "sabotage" he committed by placing imitation bids on federal lubricator and gas production leases to separate up the prices.

In inaugural statements Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney histrion Romney said Tim DeChristopher's effort isn't most "Big Oil" or the Bureau of Land Management policies that prompted the 29-year-old's subject disobedience.

Romney says DeChristopher knowingly placed jillions of dollars in bids at the 2008 sell without some intention of paying.

Defense lawyers are waiting to attain their inaugural statements in the housing that's become a drive celebre among tone stars and environmentalists.

DeChristopher pleaded not blameable to meddling with and making simulated representations at a polity auction. He faces up to 10 eld in prison and $750,000 in fines if he's convicted.

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Opening statements begin weekday in the effort of a 29-year-old Negro accused of streaming up prices at an sell for federal production leases, a figure who has become a drive celebre among tone stars and environmentalists that call his behave of subject rebelliousness "selfless."

Tim DeChristopher has pleaded not blameable to felony counts of meddling with and making simulated representations at a polity auction. He is accused of racking up a amount of $1.7 million in bids for 13 oil-and-gas leases near Utah's Arches and Canyonlands domestic parks, without the knowledge to clear for them.

DeChristopher, a University of Utah economics student at the time, had offered to counterbalance the calculate with an cyberspace fundraising campaign, but the polity refused to accept some of the money after the fact.

He doesn't dispute the facts of the housing and has said he expects to be convicted. He faces up to 10 eld in prison and $750,000 in fines if he's right.

Prosecutors hit offered DeChristopher plea deals over the time digit years, but he opted to go to trial.

The housing has become a symbol of solidarity for environmentalists who poverty to protect the parcels of land, which totaled 22,500 acres around the digit domestic parks.

About 400 people, including actress Daryl Hannah, concentrated for a rally Monday, melodic Pete Seeger's oppose strain "If I Had Hammer," criticizing polity curb of public lands and gesture signs that titled for DeChristopher to be "set free."

"I'm here to support Tim, whose selfless behave ransomed Utah's red rock wild from exploitation," said Salt Lake City doc Sheri Poe Bernard, 55. "This is a rattling important supply ... and I conceive it's a travesty that our federal polity would place Tim on effort when martyr W. Dubya is not existence prosecuted."

The bids had been prefabricated during the test production sell of the Dubya administration.

A filmmaker from Telluride, Colo., filmed the rally for a documentary most DeChristopher. martyr Gage said he and his wife spent more than digit eld on the film, which he hopes will be recognized by Utah's Sundance Film Festival — an event founded by mortal and administrator parliamentarian Redford, who also supports DeChristopher.

Federal prosecutors hit recognized that DeChristopher is the exclusive mortal ever live with failing to attain beatific on bids at a lease sell of public lands in Utah. His actions led to higher bids for another parcels, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for lubricator men.

"We were hosed," said Jason painter of Park City, presently after the consulting geologist was outbid on a 320-acre parcel. "It's rattling frustrating."

Not everyone attending the oppose territory weekday based the past wild guide's actions. Highland real realty businessperson parliamentarian Valentine mingled with environmentalists and talked most the requirement for Utah to "exploit" its natural resources to create jobs and fund the state's schools.

"I poverty to protect the natural resources. My plaything is hiking," the 69-year-old Valentine said. "But I conceive Utah ought to be allowed to hit more curb over the resources more than we do."

DeChristopher, who plans to testify, has said the polity violated environmental laws in retentive the auction. A federal determine later blocked many of the leases from existence issued.

Hannah said she believes DeChristopher's actions hit been justified because the federal determine overturned backwards the leases.

"He took a moral defence against injustice. ... He's already been effective," Hannah said. "This housing has the possibleness to be quite past and important in cost of our rights as citizens to peacefully oppose and training subject disobedience."

The effort was due to terminal until Friday.

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