Editing Hmong people (section)

====Alleged plot to overthrow the government of Laos====
{{Main|2007 Laotian coup d'état conspiracy allegation}} 
On 4 June 2007, as part of an investigation labeled [[2007 Laotian coup d'état conspiracy allegation|Operation Tarnished Eagle]], U.S. federal courts ordered warrants issued for the arrest of [[Vang Pao]] and nine others for plotting to overthrow the government of Laos in violation of federal [[Neutrality Act of 1794|Neutrality Acts]] and for multiple weapons charges.<ref>Walsh, Denny. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427063714/http://www.sacbee.com/292/story/206120.html |date=27 April 2008 |title=Ten accused of conspiring to oust government of Laos }} The ''[[Sacramento Bee]]'', 5 June 2007, archived 27 April 2008 from [https://web.archive.org/web/20071013143724/http://sacbee.com/292/story/206120.html the original]</ref> The federal charges alleged that members of the group inspected weapons, including [[AK-47]]s, [[smoke grenade]]s, and [[Stinger missile]]s, in order to buy and smuggle into Thailand in June 2007, where they were intended to be used by Hmong resistance forces in Laos. Out of the 9 arrested, one was an American, Harrison Jack, a 1968 [[West Point]] graduate and retired Army infantry officer who allegedly attempted to recruit [[Special Operations]] veterans to act as [[mercenaries]].

To obtain the weapons, Jack allegedly met unknowingly with undercover U.S. federal agents posing as weapons dealers, prompting the warrants, part of a long-running investigation into the activities of the U.S.-based Hmong leadership and its supporters.

On 15 June, the defendants were indicted by a [[grand jury]]; a [[arrest warrant|warrant]] was also issued for the arrest of an 11th man allegedly involved in the plot. Simultaneous raids of the defendants' homes and work locations, involving over 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officials, were conducted in approximately 15 U.S. cities in [[Central California|Central]] and [[Southern California]].

Multiple protest rallies in support of the suspects, designed to raise awareness of the treatment of Hmong peoples in the jungles of Laos, took place in [[California]], [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin]], and [[Alaska]]. Several of [[Vang Pao]]'s high-level supporters in the U.S. criticized the California court that issued the arrest warrants, arguing that Vang was a historically important American ally and a valued leader of U.S. and foreign-based Hmong. Calls to Californian [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] and President [[George W. Bush]] to pardon the defendants went unanswered pending a conclusion to the large, ongoing federal investigation.<ref>Magagnini, Stephen and Walsh, Denny. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213074347/http://www.sacbee.com/291/story/229794.html |date=13 December 2007 |title=Hmong Rally for 'The General' }} The Sacramento Bee, 19 June 2007, archived 13 December 2007 from [https://web.archive.org/web/20070621195814/http://www.sacbee.com/291/story/229794.html the original]</ref>

On 18 September 2009, the U.S. federal government dropped all charges against Vang Pao, announcing that the federal government was permitted to consider "the probable sentence or other consequences if the person is convicted".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/us/19general.html U.S. Drops Case Against Exiled Hmong Leader] ''The New York Times'', 18 September 2009</ref> On 10 January 2011, after Vang Pao's death, the federal government dropped all charges against the remaining defendants saying, "Based on the totality of the circumstances in the case, the government believes, as a discretionary matter, that continued prosecution of defendants is no longer warranted."<ref>{{cite news | title=Charges dropped against 12 Hmong men accused in plot to overthrow Laotian government | url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/charges-dropped-against-12-hmong-men-accused-in-plot-to-overthrow-laotian-government.html | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=10 January 2011 | access-date=15 January 2011 }}</ref>