2 L.A. Men Face Jail Time In Freeing Of 2,000 Minks From Fur Farm

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A pair of animal rights activists reportedly face some hefty penalties if they're convicted of freeing 2,000 minks at a Chicago-area fur farm.

L.A. residents Tyler Lang, 25, and Kevin Johnson, 27, have been charged with conspiracy and interstate travel to damage and interfere with the operations of an animal enterprise, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The men face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge, and restitution is mandatory.

Prosecutors say the men released the animals from their cages at a fur farm in Morris, Ill., and scrawled "Liberation is Love" on a barn Aug. 14, 2013. They went on to remove parts of the farm's fence so the minks could break free, in addition causing more than $10,000 in damages to farm property, authorities said.

The longtime animal activists conspired to do the same thing at fox farm in Roanoke, Ill., around the same time but that plan didn't pan out for some reason, documents show.

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