DxE Co-Founder Hit With $191K Order In Sonoma County Farm Tresspassing

PETALUMA, CA —The co-founder of an animal rights organization Direct Action Everywhere must pay $191,000 to two Sonoma County poultry farms for protests he and fellow DxE supporters staged two years ago, according to prosecutors.

A Sonoma County judge ordered Wayne Hsiung to pay Sonoma County’s Sunrise Farms $87,195, and Weber Family Farms $104,509 in restitution after having been convicted by a Sonoma County jury of felony charges of conspiracy to trespass and trespass in 2023.

The convictions stem from incursions onto the farms in 2018 and 2019, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office.

"The restitution ordered by the judge underscores the significant financial harm caused by these illegal activities, and the real cost to Sonoma County businesses," District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said in a statement Wednesday.

On May 29, 2018, Hsiung and hundreds of activists from DxE assembled in the area of Sunrise Farms in Petaluma, Sonoma County. Hsiung, directly and through others, entered onto the farm, refused to leave, entered structures on the farm, and removed chickens. Hsiung and others effectively shut down the farm operations for hours.

On June 3, 2019, Hsiung, and hundreds of activists from DxE, assembled in the area of Reichardt Duck Farm in Petaluma, Sonoma County. Hsiung and DxE entered onto the farm, refused to leave, chained themselves to various fixtures, entered structures, removed ducks, and damaged a processing plant conveyor belt. Hsiung, once again, effectively shut down the farm operations for hours.

The D.A.'s office announced the restitution order just an hour before the sentencing of fellow DxE member Zoe Rosenberg in a separate case. Rosenberg was taken into custody in November 2023, on the same day Hsiung was sentenced in Santa Rosa.

The restitution hearing was handled by Deputy D.A. Jessalee Mills, who was co-counsel in Rosenberg's trial.