Biography
Sophie Marika Ross, co-founder of Palestine Action US, was indicted February 23, 2024 for the November 20, 2023 Elbit Systems of America vandalism in Merrimack NH (smashed skylight, ventilation system, paint on building; ~$95,645 damage). Pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges November 14, 2024; sentenced to 12 months at Valley Street House of Corrections, all but 60 days deferred. Sophie Ross is one of the Merrimack Four. On November 20, 2023, four young women — Calla Walsh, Sophie Ross, Bridget Shergalis, and Paige Belanger — entered the Elbit Systems of America facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire and damaged equipment as a protest against Elbit's role as Israel's largest weapons manufacturer during the war in Gaza. Elbit produces military drones and components used in Israeli operations. The four pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief in late 2024 and were each sentenced to 60 days in the Hillsborough County House of Corrections, beginning November 14, 2024.
The Nuclear Resister’s November 13, 2024 report explicitly says all four Merrimack defendants pleaded guilty in September to misdemeanor criminal mischief and criminal trespass. This is a source-attributed month-level account, not an exact plea day. The existing individually documented sentence, admission and release dates, deferred term and actual custody totals remain unchanged; the article’s scheduled start and forecast sixty days are not substituted for completed service.
Source: The Nuclear Resister, report 0053.
