Below, you can find background info on Peppy and Krystal’s case: the circumstances around their arrest, the details related to their charges, and the specifics of their sentences. We have also provided a brief analysis.
For Peppy and Krystal’s post-sentencing statement, please go here.
For the case timeline, please go here.
Background
In the early hours of May 19th, 2023, heavily-armed agents raided the home of two Pittsburgh community members, Brian “Peppy” DiPippa and Krystal DiPippa. Nearly a month and a half later, they were both federally indicted, and on June 30th,2023, they surrendered to the court.
The case against Peppy and Krystal (USA v. DIPIPPA et al, (W.D. Pa. 2024) arose out of an April 18, 2023, demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh-sanctioned event that promoted hatred toward transgender people and communities. The speaking event features notorious transphobes Brad Polumbo and Michael Knowles, and posed the question, “should transgenderism be regulated by law?”
The government alleges that in the protests outside the event, a “civil disorder” occurred, when one commercially available firework and two homemade “smoke bombs” were discharged. This “civil disorder” forms the context in which Krystal and Peppy were charged.
Click here for more specifics on the timeline and current legal situation.
Charges
Krystal, who was released on pre-trial probation, was charged with (1) conspiracy and (2) obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.
Peppy was detained when he surrendered to the court on June 30, 2023 and has been imprisoned since. He was charged with (1) conspiracy, (2) obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, and (3) use of explosive to commit a federal felony. Both entered not guilty pleas.
Plea and Sentencing
Because they were charged with conspiracy as co-defendants, they were facing equal amounts of prison time, in a range that could have exceeded 10 years. Considering all the personal risks of going to trial,and factoring in the larger political context of the case, Peppy and Krystal accepted a non-cooperating deal and changed their plea. At that hearing, 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 carries 3 years of probation, but she will not serve any jail time. By statute, Peppy’s plea carries a 60-month sentence. On January 6th, 2025, at a sentencing hearing, they were sentenced by a judge in accordance with the statute.
In addition to jail time and probation, they were also ordered to jointly pay restitution to the University of Pittsburgh in the amount of $1,400, along with $47,284 to a University of Pittsburgh police officer for alleged financial damages.
Analysis
The federal government’s targeting of Krystal and Peppy is overtly political.
Even before the April 18th protest, FBI agents secretly followed our friends and used tactics straight out of the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) playbook to manufacture justification for the May 19th, 2023 raid. Amongst other stalking schemes, federal agents performed a warrantless search of Peppy and Krystal’s garbage, in which they allegedly found a discarded pamphlet about the movement to Stop Cop City. Direct from the government’s search warrant affidavit: “the “Defend the Atlanta Forest” movement has been active since approximately April 2021 and involves protesters unlawfully occupying a wooded area of land where the city plans to build a police training facility.” In the unwarranted trash search, federal agencies allegedly found “a printed zine… discussing anarchist ideology.” It is important to note that in the affidavit for a search warrant, the FBI described their following of Peppy and Krystal beginning a week before the April 18th protest – that is, a week before any allegation of any law being broken. The FBI’s use of a Stop Cop City pamphlet to justify an aggressive raid on alleged Pittsburgh political activists draws a direct line from the federal crackdown on Atlanta-area organizers to the government’s national strategy of repression and intimidation.
In its prosecution, the feds continued trying to criminalize alleged political beliefs, retaliate for alleged participation in the April 18th protest, and intimidate others from protesting and/or supporting the rights and existence of transgender people. During court proceedings, the prosecution continued to dramatize the political dimension of this case, and the judge cited these arguments in his Novemeber ruling that kept Peppy in pre-trial imprisonment with no possibility of bail, and again at sentencing. Rather than dwelling on the state’s circumstantial evidence, the prosecution castigated Peppy for “a strongly held belief system that embraces anarchism” and for feeling “a sense of community, among anarchists.” The judge cited “sentiments supporting anarchism” as a key component to justify that continued detention.
This political focus,which was evident from the beginning in the state’s earliest written filings and their use of the acronym “AGAAVE” (anti-government and anti-authority violent extremist), continues a legacy of repression against perceived dissidents.
This case reminds us just how important it is to rise against repression and stand with Peppy, Krystal and all those who face this type of backlash for existing in communities that are committed to liberation. We are inspired by so many other support committees, past and present that have mobilized around those facing repression. Whether it’s surveillance, indictments or imprisonment, there is a long history of resistance which will continue today and into the future.
Free Peppy and Krystal. Free them all.