Crown prosecutors are asking for nine-year prison sentences for Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert for their roles in the 2022 Coutts blockade.Earlier this month a jury found Olienick and Carbert not guilty of the most serious charge of conspiracy to murder police officers but found them guilty of mischief over $5,000 and possessing weapons for a dangerous purpose. .Olienick was also convicted of possessing a pipe bomb. Among the weapons seized were an assault style rifle, some over-capacity magazines and a trove of legal hunting rifles along with thousands of rounds of ammunition.Two other protesters charged with conspiracy to commit murder pleaded guilty to lesser charges and were sentenced to time served — about 2.5 years.In addition to jail time, prosecutors are also seeking a 10-year firearms ban for the two men, forfeiture of everything seized during the raids on their properties and DNA submission. .On Thursday, Justice David Labrenz heard pre-sentence arguments in a packed Lethbridge courtroom ahead of a potential ruling on Friday. Labrenz was the prosecutor in the 2005 killing of four RCMP officers in Mayerthorpe.According to live updates on Twitter (“X”), Rebel News editor Sheila Gunn Reid said the Crown alleges “the men were prepared to die” for their cause and believed “they were at war” with police.Olienick’s defence lawyer, Marilyn Burns acknowledged her client was very concerned about conflict with UN troops, the WEF, the Chinese Communist Party and Antifa — as well as the safety of children — and is asking for a sentence of time served.In July, Carbert testified that he was worried about government overreach, food shortages and the COVID-19 vaccine.Although jurors weren’t satisfied there was an actual conspiracy to murder police, after reviewing and releasing facts of the case on Tuesday, Labrenz said it was apparent the men were ready to engage in a shootout with officers based on the number and type of weapons seized.Olienick and Carbert were arrested after police confiscated weapons and made arrests in shutting down the blockade in early 2022. The barricade of vehicles at the Canada-U.S. border crossing choked off traffic for two weeks to protest COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.
