Category: Uncategorized

SENTENCING STATEMENT

On Monday, January 6, with roughly 40 supporters of Pep and Krystal packing the room, Judge Nicholas Ranjan heard arguments from the prosecution and the defense, and a Victim Impact Statement read by a University of Pittsburgh police officer. Ranjan then agreed to the non-cooperating stipulated plea and sentenced the two. 

SENTENCING DETAILS

Pep was sentenced to serve 60 months in BOP. As he’s served 18 months already, he anticipates being eligible to transition to a halfway house around March 2026 (between 15 and 22 months). After that, he will be on supervised release for 3 years. Krystal was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release and 80 hours of community service.
Pep and Krystal were jointly sentenced to pay $50,225.03, mostly to University Of Pittsburgh Officer TH, with a smaller sum to the University of Pittsburgh. They also were given special assessments of $200 and $100, respectively, and sentenced to repayment of some costs of prosecution and their own punishment. Critically, however, there was no further fine.

Pep and Krystal issued a joint statement:

“We hold in our gravity a deep reverence for love beyond the limited words we have. We know the devoted embrace of solidarity – people leaning in to one another against involuntary servitude and for a world of mutual aid.

If we are convicted, it is of love for each other, and for our community, to which all brave hearts beat devotion to the impossible task of liberation. We are grateful for those who care take, for without you, freedom would be even more distant.”

NEXT STEPS

 Pep has been transferred out of Butler County Prison and is now at Northeast Ohio Correctional Center where he will be temporarily held while he awaits BOP classification. He may be moved around a bit before ending up at his designated facility within the BOP. We’ll update the Write To Peppy page on our website as soon as he gets there.

In the meantime, you can also email us messages of solidarity to Peppy or Krystal. We’ll hold on to them and be sure they reach him in the prison where he’ll be doing his time.

You can find more information about the federal BOP initial intake and orientation process here. We will be sure to update everyone with the necessary information on how best to support Peppy once he actually gets to the BOP.

DONATIONS

Peppy and Krystal need your support! In their sentencing, they’re jointly tasked with paying more than $50k dollars in restitution. This is in addition to commissary and the costs of prison support for the remainder of Peppy’s sentence. Please donate today and spread the word!

We remain so grateful to all of you. These punitive structures that we’ve been navigating together exist to separate and isolate, and our solidarity stands as a rebuke and inspiration. 

Peppy and Krystal’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for next week. If you’re able to attend, here are the details!

WHEN: Monday, January 6th at 2pm

WHERE: Room 6C of the US Courthouse, 700 Grant Street, downtown Pittsburgh.

This is the last court appearance Peppy will make before being transferred to BOP custody to serve out the remainder of his sentence. So, if you’re in the area and are able to, please show up and show him and Krystal just how much support they have!

(click here for some background on the case)

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