The owner of an unpermitted firearms training center in southern Vermont says he won’t comply with a judge’s order to dismantle much of the facility he built in the woods near the New York border.
Daniel Banyai says he’s looking for “the proper constitutional attorney” to help him appeal. He has until May 5 to appeal the March 4 order.
The town of Pawlet has asked a judge to hold Banyai in contempt for refusing to end training activities on the property, have the structures there surveyed and remove any buildings that were constructed without local zoning permits. He was also fined $46,000.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
The Vermont Constitution forbids private military units from operating outside state authority, providing that “[t]he military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by the civil power.” Vt. Const. ch. 1, art. XVI.
The owner of an unpermitted firearms training center in southern Vermont says he won’t comply with a judge’s order to dismantle much of the facility he built in the woods near the New York border.
Daniel Banyai says he’s looking for “the proper constitutional attorney” to help him appeal. He has until May 5 to appeal the March 4 order.
The town of Pawlet has asked a judge to hold Banyai in contempt for refusing to end training activities on the property, have the structures there surveyed and remove any buildings that were constructed without local zoning permits. He was also fined $46,000.
Pawlet is right over the hill from where I live in NY (I'm literally on the VT border). I heard about this dude last year from friends who live in Pawlet. I checked out his FB page (where he hides his militia training behind the label of being a school, and conducting educational classes). I've been following the story ever since. He's threatened townspeople (the "commercial center" of Pawlet is about three stores, church, and a few fancy houses--no gas station, no convenience store) and refused previous court orders. The town has been living in a degree of terror. There are no police in Pawlet, so it's all on the county, and they've been standoffish, previously. All this was before Jan 6, of course.
sugar magnolia wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 6:37 pm
WTF is a "constitutional attorney" anyway?
Someone, not necessarily licensed by the state as an attorney, who will march into court and loudly proclaim that the court has no jurisdiction, that the "de jure" government is irredeemably corrupt and that he is a "Patriot" who is fighting to return "we the people" to their rightful place.
sugar magnolia wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 6:37 pm
WTF is a "constitutional attorney" anyway?
Someone, not necessarily licensed by the state as an attorney, who will march into court and loudly proclaim that the court has no jurisdiction, that the "de jure" government is irredeemably corrupt and that he is a "Patriot" who is fighting to return "we the people" to their rightful place.
sugar magnolia wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 6:37 pm
WTF is a "constitutional attorney" anyway?
Someone, not necessarily licensed by the state as an attorney, who will march into court and loudly proclaim that the court has no jurisdiction, that the "de jure" government is irredeemably corrupt and that he is a "Patriot" who is fighting to return "we the people" to their rightful place.
From October 1920. Keep reading, as the article is blog-like and there is keyinfo every few paragraphs.
During an environmental court hearing on June 22, which related to several state administrative violations regarding the use of his land, Banyai claimed twice that he’s an active member of the military. The first time, he said he was out of the country on deployment when the town served him with papers regarding permitting violations.
...
ATF’s bulletin, which was posted on social media and circulated among those concerned about Slate Ridge earlier this year, warns law enforcement officers about Banyai.
It lists his felony charges, and says he was “served with a warning notice to surrender his firearms by ATF. Following this notice, he posted vague posts about shooting individuals on his Facebook page. He is believed to be unlawfully in possession of a large cache of firearms and ammunition. Banyai is currently prohibited from possession or purchasing a firearm and has refused to follow the order to surrender his firearms.”
A leaked bulletin from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) says Banyai falsely claims to be “a federal agent, a member of the military special forces community or an emergency management professional and he may present false credentials.”
...
Residents, who have brought issues at Slate Ridge to officials’ attention since 2017, are frustrated by the lack of action toward Banyai considering the use of his property still violates several of the town’s bylaws.
“We have attended each Select Board, Development Review Board, and Planning Commission meeting for over a year now in order to respectfully make our concerns heard by the 16 town officials, and the town attorney, to little avail,” a spokesperson for the group told the board. “Why have the servants of the people, who are supposed to be our voice, not upheld the bylaws that promise to ‘conserve the value of our homes’ and ‘promote the health, safety, and general welfare’ of our townspeople?”
Pawlet has taken action against Slate Ridge, but the town of 1,200 has little capacity to handle the situation on its own. Attorney Merrill Bent with Woolmington, Campbell, Bent & Stasny has attempted to help them enforce local permitting and zoning rules, along with violations related to Act 250. Banyai fights back, doxing local officials and adding the #corruptpawlet hashtag on posts. He’s even accused selectboard members of having affiliations with the Ku Klux Klan.
The owner of an unpermitted firearms training center in southern Vermont says he won’t comply with a judge’s order to dismantle much of the facility he built in the woods near the New York border.
Daniel Banyai says he’s looking for “the proper constitutional attorney” to help him appeal. He has until May 5 to appeal the March 4 order.
The town of Pawlet has asked a judge to hold Banyai in contempt for refusing to end training activities on the property, have the structures there surveyed and remove any buildings that were constructed without local zoning permits. He was also fined $46,000.
Pawlet is right over the hill from where I live in NY (I'm literally on the VT border). I heard about this dude last year from friends who live in Pawlet. I checked out his FB page (where he hides his militia training behind the label of being a school, and conducting educational classes). I've been following the story ever since. He's threatened townspeople (the "commercial center" of Pawlet is about three stores, church, and a few fancy houses--no gas station, no convenience store) and refused previous court orders. The town has been living in a degree of terror. There are no police in Pawlet, so it's all on the county, and they've been standoffish, previously. All this was before Jan 6, of course.
Looks like this guy is also having criminal trouble in New York. What a lovely man.
While Daniel Banyai’s legal issues in Vermont are dragging as he awaits a ruling by the Vermont Supreme Court on his challenge to an Environmental Court decision, New York’s criminal court could be moving toward a resolution.
Banyai, of West Pawlet, has an Environmental Court ruling against him over failure to obtain permits. He has been ordered to cease using the shooting facility he calls Slate Ridge at 541 Briar Hill Road, pay $46,600 in fines and deconstruct all unpermitted enhancements, which he has said are valued at $1.6 million.
Banyai has challenged that decision in the state Supreme Court where his attorney has argued the town issued a permit only to later rescind it and questioned whether Banyai even needed permits for much of the work he has done.
But that’s in Vermont. In New York, Banyai’s is facing three different criminal charges, the most serious of which is criminal possession of a weapon.