Hmong leaders charged in plot released

A U.S. magistrate ordered the alleged ringleader of a plot to overthrow the communist government of Laos released on bail Thursday, allowing him to return home under strict conditions.

U.S. Magistrate Dale Drozd also approved bail for seven other defendants, including the other central figure in the case, Harrison Jack, 60, a former Army Ranger accused of acting as a middle man between the Hmong leaders and a presumed arms dealer who was really an undercover federal agent.

Drozd put off bail hearings for three other defendants until Friday. But after more than seven hours of arguments Thursday, he appeared poised to release all 11 of the men accused in the plot.

The ruling followed a dramatic morning in court in which two of the 11 men accused in the plot were hospitalized as their attorneys argued they should be freed while they await trial.

Drozd's decision will confine former Laotian Gen. Vang Pao, 77, to his southern California home and allow him to see only his family, doctors and attorneys. Pao is considered the leader of Hmong who emigrated to America after the Vietnam War. He appeared in court in a wheelchair after being hospitalized for chest pains last month.

His home and those of four other family members and friends valued at a total of $1.5 million will be offered as bond. Drozd said that if the defendant violates any condition of his release, all five could lose their homes.

Jack, of Woodland; Youa True Vang, 60, of Sanger; Lo Cha Thao, 34, of Clovis; Dang Vang, 48, of Fresno; Lo Thao 53, of Sacramento; Chue Lo, 59, of Stockton and Seng Vue, 68, of Fresno were all ordered released under similar terms.

In all, families and friends of the eight men combined put up nearly 30 homes, an apartment complex, and a family trust valued at a $7.5 million.

The remaining three defendants _ Hue Vang, 39, and Chong Yang Thao, 53, of Fresno and Nhia Kao Vang, 48, of Rancho Cordova _ are expected to be granted bail on Friday.

A crowd of about 1,000 Hmong gathered outside the federal courthouse erupted in applause and cheers after Drozd's decision was announced, throwing confetti and squirting water.

Federal prosecutors argued that all 11 defendants are dangerous and likely to flee if they are freed on bail during what could be a yearslong court battle.

Earlier in the day, U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ordered Drozd to hold individual hearings to reconsider whether the accused could be released under any circumstances. Magistrates previously ruled that all 11 should remain jailed.

Defendant Seng Vue, 68, of Fresno, fainted in the courtroom during Damrell's hearing and was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. He suffered a stroke three weeks ago while in custody, his attorney said.

A co-defendant, Chong Yang Thao, 53, also of Fresno, was taken to the same hospital earlier Thursday after he suffered a stroke, said his lawyer, Dina Santos. He was awaiting testing to determine the severity of the stroke, she said.

The men face a possible sentences of life in prison if they are convicted. They're charged with conspiring to violate the Neutrality Act, along with other conspiracy and weapons charges.

They are accused of plotting to buy nearly $10 million worth of machine guns, anti-aircraft missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, mines and other weapons to overthrow the Laotian government.

Before Drozd issued his ruling, defense attorneys and prosecutors sparred for three hours over whether the men are inherently too dangerous to be released.

John Keker, an attorney for Vang Pao, said the alleged plotters were only hoping to defend the Hmong against Laotian soldiers trying to exterminate them. The men never intended to overthrow the Laotian government, Keker said.

Keker also argued that the CIA at least tacitly approved of the operation, that the idea to purchase missiles was suggested by the federal agent.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Twiss said such exchanges were not leading because they backed the agent's cover story. He also denied that anyone from the CIA ever met with the defendants.

"We know it was not a CIA-backed operation," he said. Any allegation that it was is completely false."