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 One of the newly-charged defendants, New Hampshire resident and
former U.S. Marine Jerry DeLemus, has headed a veterans' group
formed by the presidential campaign of Republican Donald Trump.
DeLemus made headlines in January when he traveled to remote eastern
Oregon to meet with protesters who occupied the headquarters of the
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. DeLemus said at the time he was
acting on his own and not as a representative of the Trump campaign.
A total of 19 people have now been indicted in the case, including
Cliven Bundy and two of his sons. The defendants face charges
including assault on a federal agent, threatening a law enforcement
officer, conspiracy, firearms violations.
 "This investigation began the day after the assault against federal
law enforcement officers and continues to this day," Daniel Bogden,
U.S. Attorney for Nevada, said in a written statement issued by his
office.
Twelve of the newly indicted defendants were arrested on Thursday,
prosecutors said. Two others, Brian Cavalier and Blaine Cooper, were
already in custody in connection with the Malheur wildlife refuge
occupation.
Bundy's ranch in Bunkerville, Nevada, was the site of the standoff.
He became a symbol of defiance for U.S. conservatives, particularly
in the Tea Party movement, for confronting the federal Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), an agency of the U.S. Interior Department.
His sons Ammon and Ryan, helped lead the armed occupation of the
Malheur refuge in Oregon.
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The dispute between Cliven Bundy and the U.S. government dates back
to 1993, when the rancher stopped paying monthly fees the BLM
charges ranchers to allow their cattle to roam federal range lands.
Saying Bundy owed more than $1 million in grazing fees and had
ignored court orders to remove his cattle from public lands, the BLM
sent armed rangers to Bundy's ranch in April 2014 to round up his
cattle.
Anti-government groups, gun rights activists and right-wing militia
members rallied to Bundy's defense. Following a brief armed
standoff, the government backed down, canceled its roundup and
released the cattle it had seized.
Bundy's supporters hailed the outcome as a victory over government
tyranny. Detractors have called Bundy an outlaw.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles;
Editing by David Gregorio and Andrew Hay)
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