Biography
Mark Neiweem — anti-NATO summit arrestee, Chicago, May 2012. Charged under Illinois terrorism statute with solicitation to make a Molotov cocktail; pleaded guilty to a reduced count and sentenced to three years.
In the days surrounding the May 2012 NATO summit in Chicago, the FBI and Chicago Police arrested a series of activists in raids tied to anti-NATO protest organizing. The 'NATO 3' (Brian Church, Jared Chase, Brent Betterly) became the headline case after being charged under Illinois state terrorism statutes. The 'NATO 5' designation is sometimes used to include two additional men arrested in parallel raids — Sebastian Senakiewicz and Mark Neiweem — on charges that critics described as informant-driven entrapment. Several other anti-NATO arrestees were later swept up on protest-related charges. All were held at Cook County Jail in Chicago; some were transferred to Stateville or to IDOC custody after conviction.
Actual release verified October 13, 2026: The Nuclear Resister's December 12, 2013 report, quoting his lawyer and support coordinator, confirms release from Pontiac that morning. It explains that prison discipline delayed the earlier projected parole date. December 12 replaces the estimated November release. WBEZ's May 20, 2012 court report places his arrest on the preceding Thursday, May 17. The separately stored initial jail-admission month is not promoted to an exact day simply from the arrest date, and the unsupported exact 549-day total has been removed.
The September 2012 Nuclear Resister reports an indictment of Mark Neiweem for solicitation of explosives or incendiary devices and an initial not-guilty plea. It gives no exact plea day. This pretrial report is distinct from his later guilty plea and sentence.
The August 16, 2013 support report describes Mark Neiweem being placed in solitary confinement at Pontiac during the preceding month. It attributes two disciplinary allegations to his reading, writing, discussion and possession of anarchist symbols; supporters described those allegations as political. The threatened additional two years of solitary confinement was prospective, not an imposed or completed term. No new criminal conviction, exact solitary-admission day, additional custody total or current condition is inferred.
Sources: The Nuclear Resister, source report 629.
A report published August 28, 2012 describes Mark Neiweem appearing in court on August 23 limping and with a large head bandage after an alleged assault by guards at Cook County Jail earlier that week. It reports an overnight visit to Cook County Hospital, a hunger strike, solitary confinement in Division 10 and denied visits. His attorneys asked the court to preserve evidence. These are contemporary reported allegations and requests, not findings of liability; the report supplies no exact assault day or measured period in solitary confinement.
The contemporary May 2012 NATO-summit report records initial solicitation and attempted-possession-of-an-incendiary-device charges and $500,000 bail for Neiweem, with a June 13 hearing then scheduled. This is the historical pretrial position, not an additional case or a statement of his present custody status. Contemporary source.
Nineteen months actually served
The December 12, 2013 release report states that Mark Neiweem, also known as Migs or Comrade Migs, left Pontiac Correctional Center that morning after nineteen months in custody. The report distinguishes that completed stay from the two concurrent three-year sentences imposed. Contemporary release report.
