Author: freepeppyandkrystal

As a result of the offer brought by the prosecution in late August, Peppy and Krystal changed their pleas at a hearing on September 10th.
Peppy pled guilty to counts 1 (conspiracy) and 2 (obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder); the third count, which carried with it a 10-year mandatory minimum, was dropped. Krystal pled guilty to count 2.

Krystal’s plea means she’ll be on probation for 3 years but will not serve any jail time. By statute, Peppy’s plea carries a 60-month sentence. However, given time served and federal prison guidelines, we estimate that he will serve approximately 24 – 30 months, with the hopes that it will be less than that.

Considering all the personal risks of going to trial, and factoring in the larger political context of the case, Peppy and Krystal arrived at this decision as the least-worst option. We all know the trial wouldn’t have been based on the facts of the case so much as what the prosecution can make a jury believe, and it behooves Krystal and Peppy to go this route. They are also aware that their pleas, significantly less than the 10-year mandatory minimum Pep faced for the third count alone, inform precedent for these kinds of charges moving forward.
We are extremely grateful to the deep and sustained outpouring of support throughout this ordeal. It’s been incredible, but it’s also not over. While these developments give us direction, they are just next steps in the process.

There is a Sentencing Hearing scheduled for January 6, 2025. If you’re interested in submitting character letters on Pep’s behalf, here is all the information on how to do that .

And of course, continued letters to Peppy are so important! – let him know we’re still out here and with him every step of the way.

The prosecution has brought a plea offer to Peppy and Krystal’s legal team, and so the jury trial, previously scheduled for September 9th, is currently on hold.

We’ll have further updates as things develop, including what kinds of support are most needed. But for now, please pause any court support plans for 9/9. Thank you!

At this point, Peppy has been in pre-trial lock up for over two months. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who has supported him and Krystal in the face of this ongoing state repression. The donations, letters, and community support mean the world.

A word from Peppy:

“When I read your letters, my soul escapes this place to walk alongside you, to commune; and with a big inhale I share our smiles with others experiencing incarceration. Thank you for reaching through these windowless walls. Respect and solidarity to all the bravehearts!”

Legal update:

A procedural status hearing was held August 31st. Frustratingly, Pep was again not physically present in court. There will be a few more hearings along the way, and the court indicated it would like to set trial in February or March 2024.

The judge said that he will issue a decision on whether Pep will continue to be imprisoned pre-trial or if he will be released; that is, there will not be any hearing for appealing the pre-trial detention. He did not offer a timeline on when we could expect the decision. A deadline for pretrial motions has been set for the end of December / beginning of January.

Fundraising update:

We are deeply grateful for the financial support already offered! We’ve received donations ranging from $5 to $10,000. Each one of these donations has helped get us closer to meeting the exorbitant costs of this case … costs that will continue to rise, as this case is ongoing. If you’re able to give, please send funds to support Peppy and Krystal via the donate page here on the support site.

That’s it for now. We’ll share any relevant updates as they arise. In the meantime, please continue to write Peppy, check in on the website, spread the word within your circles, and write to Peppy at the following address:

Butler County Prison
c/o Brian DiPippa
#42322 PO Box 9156
Seminole, FL 33775-9156

The grinding pace of these sorts of proceedings is designed to isolate and demoralize – let’s make sure Peppy & Krystal know we have their backs!

With love and solidarity,

Krystal & Peppy’s Support Committee