{"id":1536,"date":"2026-06-08T15:10:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1536"},"modified":"2026-06-08T15:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:10:42","slug":"bay-area-native-found-guilty-of-conspiracy-in-spokane-anti-ice-demonstration-some-see-it-as-a-dangerous-precedent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1536","title":{"rendered":"Bay Area native found guilty of conspiracy in Spokane anti-ICE demonstration. Some see it as a dangerous precedent"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><p>Bajun Mavalwalla texted a Press Democrat reporter on May 27 to say the jury had begun deliberations in the case of his son, who goes by the same name, and two other defendants in a case playing out in a Spokane, Washington, federal courtroom.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1529\">Girlfriend of \u2018Top Gun\u2019 actor James Handy says son has schizophrenia, stopped taking meds before fatal stabbing<\/a><\/p>\n<p>U.S. attorneys had charged them with conspiracy to impede or injure ICE officers following a standoff between demonstrators and immigration enforcement agents in that city in June 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe expect acquittal,\u201d the elder Mavalwalla noted at that time.<\/p>\n<p>The jury delivered its verdicts the next day, in a packed courtroom. Following eight days of trial and more than a day of deliberations, the son, Bajun Dhunjisha Mavalwalla \u2014 known in the family, which has deep ties to Sonoma County, as Baji \u2014 was found guilty, along with co-defendants Jac Archer and Justice Forral.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cSpokane Three,\u201d as they became known, await sentencing. Each faces up to six years in prison for the conspiracy charge.<\/p>\n<p>The verdicts have perplexed, frightened and outraged many free speech advocates.<\/p>\n<p>Richard Barker, who resigned his position as acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington rather than prosecute a case in which no one was seriously injured, told the Statesman-Review in Spokane, \u201cI question whether justice truly was served by today\u2019s verdict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown commented in a news release that, \u201cIt was meant to make an example out of people who disagreed with federal immigration policy.\u201d<\/p> <div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bajun Ray Mavalwalla, the defendant\u2019s father, also weighed in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do not think people understand just how important this is,\u201d he told The Press Democrat in a phone interview Wednesday, June 3. \u201cWho\u2019s to say that, by the ruling they just made, you couldn\u2019t go to an ICE protest in Sonoma County and be charged with conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><ul><div><div><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bajun Mavalwalla, 61, who is running for Washington\u2019s 5th Congressional...\" class=\"wp-image-1531\" height=\"769\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/12537f1c34020aff65b1d71b35bf912a-1024x769.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/12537f1c34020aff65b1d71b35bf912a-1024x769.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/12537f1c34020aff65b1d71b35bf912a-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/12537f1c34020aff65b1d71b35bf912a-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/12537f1c34020aff65b1d71b35bf912a-1536x1153.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/12537f1c34020aff65b1d71b35bf912a.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Bajun Mavalwalla, 61, who is running for Washington\u2019s 5th Congressional District. He is building on the sudden notoriety of his son, who goes by the same name and was charged with conspiracy for his role in an anti-ICE protest in Spokane in June 2025. (Bajun Mavalwalla)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Former Petaluma City Council member Dennis Pocekay, left, and Bruce...\" class=\"wp-image-1532\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/366ae107c54e3a4e6037b8e001c66cf8-1024x683.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/366ae107c54e3a4e6037b8e001c66cf8-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/366ae107c54e3a4e6037b8e001c66cf8-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/366ae107c54e3a4e6037b8e001c66cf8-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/366ae107c54e3a4e6037b8e001c66cf8-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/366ae107c54e3a4e6037b8e001c66cf8.webp 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Former Petaluma City Council member Dennis Pocekay, left, and Bruce Hicks join an ICE protest outside the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting in Santa Rosa Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Beth Schlanker \/ The Press Democrat)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bajun Mavalwalla II, known in his family as \u201cBaji,\u201d with...\" class=\"wp-image-1533\" height=\"634\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c94ed9fcef807f8c67288e8ce4f38f75-768x634.webp\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c94ed9fcef807f8c67288e8ce4f38f75-768x634.webp 768w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c94ed9fcef807f8c67288e8ce4f38f75-300x248.webp 300w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c94ed9fcef807f8c67288e8ce4f38f75.webp 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Courtesy of Mavalwalla family<\/div><div>Bajun Mavalwalla II, known in his family as \u201cBaji,\u201d with his mother Ellyn and father Bajun Mavalwalla I. All three served in the U.S. Army. (Courtesy of Mavalwalla family)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bajun Mavalwalla II, center, being arrested by FBI agents in...\" class=\"wp-image-1534\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6d7743ff5e8429c490f99db095d835b5.webp\" width=\"516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6d7743ff5e8429c490f99db095d835b5.webp 516w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6d7743ff5e8429c490f99db095d835b5-300x247.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Mavalwalla family<\/div><div>Bajun Mavalwalla II, center, being arrested by FBI agents in Spokane, Washington, on July 15, 2025. (Mavalwalla family)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bajun Mavalwalla II. The Petaluma native was indicted by the...\" class=\"wp-image-1535\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/45469b5cd61f1e0b91fb6cace263a98a.webp\" width=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/45469b5cd61f1e0b91fb6cace263a98a.webp 480w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/45469b5cd61f1e0b91fb6cace263a98a-225x300.webp 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>Courtesy of Mavalwalla family<\/div><div>Bajun Mavalwalla II. The Petaluma native was indicted by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office on July 9, 2025, after participating in a protest that disrupted an immigration enforcement action in Spokane, Washington. (Courtesy of Mavalwalla family)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><\/div><\/div><\/ul><div><button>Show Caption<\/button><div><span>1<\/span> of <span>5<\/span><\/div><div>Bajun Mavalwalla, 61, who is running for Washington\u2019s 5th Congressional District. He is building on the sudden notoriety of his son, who goes by the same name and was charged with conspiracy for his role in an anti-ICE protest in Spokane in June 2025. (Bajun Mavalwalla)\n<\/div><span>Expand<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<p>This story will refer to the elder Mavalwalla as Bajun and the son as Baji, to avoid confusion.<\/p>\n<p>Bajun was somewhere between Clarkston and Pomeroy, Washington, at the time of the interview, stumping for his campaign in the state\u2019s 5th Congressional District. Mavalwalla, who was highly involved in Sonoma County Democratic Party politics decades ago before moving, reiterated that while he has many reasons for running for Congress, his son\u2019s prosecution was the catalyst.<\/p> <div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The government, not surprisingly, had its own thoughts on criticism of the guilty verdicts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStatements made by current or former public officials who never set foot in the courtroom during the trial bear no relevance to these facts or the outcome of this case,\u201d Pete Serrano, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, said in a news release announcing the convictions.<\/p>\n<p>Baji Mavalwalla, 36, who grew up in Sonoma County and, like his father, served in the Army and had combat deployments in Afghanistan, remains free as his lawyers attempt to overturn his conviction. They are using a Rule 29 motion, which allows a judge to dismiss a jury verdict based on matters of law.<\/p>\n<p>Bajun thinks his son\u2019s chances of success under Rule 29 are slim, but not zero. Unlike the other two convicted protesters, Baji wasn\u2019t found to have conspired against federal agents \u2014 an odd twist to his conviction.<\/p>\n<p>His verdict, signed by the jury foreman, marks Baji guilty of conspiracy to impede or injure officers. But that X mark is followed by a section instructing the foreman to check off any of five findings in support of that verdict.<\/p>\n<p>The first four pertain to the defendant conspiring to injure officers or their property, or to impede them from discharging their official duties. All of those are marked \u201cno.\u201d The fifth asks whether Mavalwalla aided and abetted others who were conspiring to injure or impede officers. That one is marked \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s just one of the legal issues that has vexed the Mavalwallas.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. attorneys were also successful in preventing a wide range of testimony from being introduced as evidence, including the resignations of Barker and his successor, Stephanie Van Marter; the subsequent release of one of the immigrants whose detention sparked the 2025 protest; and a memo from then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi directing federal prosecutors across the country to prioritize cases against demonstrators.<\/p>\n<p>Bajun said he doesn\u2019t fault U.S. District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell, the federal jury or Spokane-area law enforcement, which never moved to charge his son. And Baji agrees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m frustrated that a vindictive administration is weaponizing the DOJ to target people standing up for their neighbors,\u201d he wrote to The Press Democrat. \u201cThat\u2019s not the fault of the jury nor the judge.\u201d<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1527\">Campbell woman seeing lots of cockroaches; she\u2019s not alone<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If Baji Mavalwalla\u2019s Rule 29 effort fizzles, he and his father said, he will likely file an appeal in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes the Pacific Northwest and California.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remain optimistic that justice will prevail,\u201d Baji said. \u201cThe system has these layers of protection for a reason, and I will use every opportunity to prove my innocence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bajun credited the attorneys who handled his son\u2019s case in U.S. District Court, but said the family is now talking to others with expertise in appellate law.<\/p>\n<p>Baji\u2019s case stems from a tense, nine-hour standoff at a federal facility in Spokane, where protesters responded to a call on social media and attempted to block the transportation of immigrant detainees to a Tacoma courthouse. The scene grew chaotic. Protesters slashed the tires of transport vans. Local police fired smoke canisters into the crowd. ICE agents pushed people to the ground.<\/p>\n<p>Five weeks later, Baji Mavalwalla was arrested outside his home in Spokane. Eight other people were rounded up in other locations and charged with conspiracy. None of them had been arrested at the ICE protest.<\/p>\n<p>Six of the nine defendants wound up striking plea deals with federal prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>Mavalwalla refused. He told The Press Democrat he doesn\u2019t regret that decision in any way.<\/p>\n<p>Among the Spokane defendants, it is Baji who has garnered the most media attention. That is due, in part, to his willingness to conduct occasional interviews. But his status as an Army veteran also makes him a sympathetic subject.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been blown away by the widespread support for the Spokane 3,\u201d Baji said. \u201cLocal community support is very strong, national support is growing, and my GoFundMe continues to help offset my legal fees. I\u2019m very grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The GoFundMe account, established last summer but still pulling in sporadic donations, had topped $38,000 by Friday, June 5.<\/p>\n<p>Serrano, the acting U.S. Attorney in the District of Eastern Washington, took a dig at popular support of the defendants in his post-verdict news release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe United States Attorney\u2019s Office has been encouraged to see so many members of the community engaged with this case,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWe look forward to the same level of public interest in all of our criminal cases against defendants charged with domestic violence and rape of children in Indian Country, human trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, violent felons with illegal arsenals, and the exploitation of children as young as infants and toddlers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The elder Mavalwalla grew up on a farm outside Petaluma. His son split time between the farm and Cotati as a child, before attending both Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University.<\/p>\n<p>The Mavalwallas have very personal stakes in this case, obviously. But Bajun insists his motivations go beyond his son\u2019s welfare. He believes that if Donald Trump\u2019s Department of Justice scores a victory in the Spokane case, the agency will double down on prosecuting protesters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are now literally in one of the most important sets of case law in the United States,\u201d Bajun said. \u201cI do not think people understand just how important this is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The defense team has until Thursday, June 11, to file briefs in support of their motions to dismiss. The government must then respond by June 25, and the defense will have another week beyond that to offer responses of its own.<\/p>\n<p><em>You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.<\/em><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1525\">No, Spencer Pratt did not receive only 0 votes in one of the LA mayoral race tallies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Petaluma native Bajun Mavalwalla and two co-defendants were found guilty last month of conspiring to impede or injure federal immigration officers. Each faces up to six years in prison. Here&#8217;s why some observers believe it will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Bay Area native found guilty of conspiracy in Spokane anti-ICE demonstration. Some see it as a dangerous precedent - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1536\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bay Area native found guilty of conspiracy in Spokane anti-ICE demonstration. Some see it as a dangerous precedent - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Petaluma native Bajun Mavalwalla and two co-defendants were found guilty last month of conspiring to impede or injure federal immigration officers. Each faces up to six years in prison. 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Some see it as a dangerous precedent - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1536","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bay Area native found guilty of conspiracy in Spokane anti-ICE demonstration. Some see it as a dangerous precedent - Next City Digest","og_description":"Petaluma native Bajun Mavalwalla and two co-defendants were found guilty last month of conspiring to impede or injure federal immigration officers. Each faces up to six years in prison. Here's why some observers believe it will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1536","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-06-08T15:10:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1860,"height":1396,"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/12537f1c34020aff65b1d71b35bf912a.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1536#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1536"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Bay Area native found guilty of conspiracy in Spokane anti-ICE demonstration. 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