Jeff Monson Faces 10 Years for “First-Degree Malicious Mischief” |

According to The Olympian, a warrant has been filed in Olympia, Washington, for the arrest of UFC vet Jeff Monson, after pictures of him spray-painting an anarchy symbol on the state Capitol were published in ESPN The Magazine. Monson is being charged with first-degree malicious mischief, a Class B felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine; $19,000 was reportedly spent on cleaning up the graffiti, so they’d just be breaking even here. Says The Olympian:

[An] Olympia police detective recognized Monson as the source of the graffiti on surveillance footage captured by a camera at the Capitol, but the break in the case occurred after ESPN The Magazine published an article on Monson and his political views Dec. 29. A photograph of Monson leaving graffiti on the Capitol was included with the article, court papers state.

“Every great movement in the United States, from civil rights, women’s rights, the labor movement, has been the result of people standing up and breaking the law, refusing to stand at the back of the bus, refusing to stand aside when the government asks you to get off their property. And now, these people are seen as pioneers. But at the time, they were criminals — they were literally criminals. I’m not here to advocate for myself; at some point you have to stand up.”

I think 50 years from now, we’ll be telling our grandchildren about the days of struggle, when white men weren’t allowed to spray-paint anarchy symbols on government buildings — that is, until one brave man rose up…

Monson, who compiled a 4-3 Octagon record over two stints in the UFC and challenged Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title, went 3-1 last year in four separate MMA leagues, with wins over Mark Kerr, Jimmy Ambriz, and Ricco Rodriguez, and a loss to Josh Barnett at Sengoku 2 in May.