Within hours of admitting responsibility for the federal case against him, Fairbanks militia leader Schaeffer Cox signed a notice to the court that he would appeal his convictions and his sentence of nearly 26 years.
Cox signed the notice Tuesday and it was filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage Wednesday. At the same time, he asked that his filing fees be waived because he was too poor to pay them, and his latest attorney, Peter Camiel of Seattle, asked permission from the court to withdraw from further proceedings.
Cox didn't cite grounds for his appeal -- that will be in the brief he files to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. In accepting his appeal, the 9th Circuit set a due date for the brief in April.
Camiel replaced Cox's trial attorney and prepared Cox's case for a lenient sentence. Camiel, a private attorney who worked for Cox at public expense, said he was not on the list of attorneys who could be appointed to appear before the 9th Circuit. In addition, he said, he could end up being a witness in Cox's appeal.
Reach Richard Mauer at rmauer@adn.com or 257-4345.
By RICHARD MAUER