An anti-fur activist pleaded guilty Dec. 27 to causing great damages to two East County homes and other businesses and is facing up to 18 months in federal prison plus paying $423,477 in damages.
Nicole Kissane, 29, formerly of Escondido, will be sentenced Jan. 17 by U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns, who sentenced her boyfriend May 2, 2016 to two years in prison for the same activity.
Her boyfriend, Joseph Brian Buddenberg, 32, of Oakland, has a projected release date of Jan. 26, 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Both Kissane and Buddenberg spray painted “animal murderer” and other slurs on homes and businesses. Paint stripper and acid were used along with glue put into locks.
Kissane pleaded guilty once before, but withdrew her plea after Burns said the six-month prison term that both sides had agreed upon was not sufficient enough given the amount of damages. She was given the option of having a January trial or plead guilty and face a longer sentence.
The U.S. Attorney’s office will seek an 18-month sentence for Kissane, while her lawyers will ask Burns for a 15-month term.
Burns said there were 14 separate incidents of vandalism that also included tire slashing on meat truck distributors, release of thousands of minks from farms, an Oakland restaurant vandalized, and even flooding of someone’s home in incidents in Idaho, Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Both Buddenberg and Kissane pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Kissane is free on $100,000 bond.
The vandalism occurred in 2013 and 2014 and the pair was arrested in July, 2015. Kissane formerly worked in a coffee shop and Buddenberg worked at a book store. It’s not known if they can come up with such a large restitution order of $423,477.
They were not members of any animal rights organizations.
