Garfield County Attorney Nickolas Murnion successfully prosecuted Montana's fiercely anti-government “Freemen” for advocating terrorism, and rallied his small community to stand up to the extremist hate group.
In March 1994, the Freemen posted a $1 million bounty for the arrest and conviction of Murnion and several others who were involved in the foreclosure of a Freeman’s property. Recognizing the growing movement as both a danger to public safety and a serious threat to the nation’s constitutional form of government, Mr. Murnion stood up to the Freemen, and using every legal option available to him, began prosecuting its members. In the three Freeman cases he prosecuted, Mr. Murnion obtained convictions. Several more of the defendants wanted on felony charges became fugitives, creating an armed camp, “Justus Township.”
In March 1996, more than a year after Mr. Murnion first asked for federal aid, the FBI began its 81-day siege of the Freemen’s armed camp - the longest FBI siege in history.