Jay, of the NATO 3, is serving an 8-year sentence for helping undercover cops with their own idea to make molotov cocktails, that were never used, to protest the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago. He and his co-defendants were acquitted of many of the original charges, but convicted on lesser charges including misdemeanor mob action and possession of an incendiary device with intent to commit arson.

He was scheduled to be released on parole in May 2016, however, in April 2016 he pleaded guilty to a charge stemming from an incident with Cook County Jail guards during his pre-trial confinement and was sentenced to an additional year.  His release date was extended to 6/6/19 presumably due to losing "good time" credit.  He likes receiving mail and books (off his Amazon Wishlist), but may not write back. His last posted projected release date was November 2019, but is being held with a pending hearing in December.

Medical Condition:

As of winter 2015, Jay is experiencing rapid progression of symptoms from Huntington’s Disease as he is being denied the recommended care for his condition.  His doctor’s testimony at sentencing for the NATO 3 charges revealed that Chase’s hereditary Huntington’s Disease is a likely factor contributing to his behavior. He has not been receiving the recommended medical care and nutritional supplements required to treat his condition while in custody, further adding to his deterioration as indicated by rapid weight loss.  In the past, he has gone on hunger strike as his only recourse to demand that they meet his medical and nutritional needs, without much success.  He wanted to adopt a vegan diet, but was told this would not be recommended for his medical condition.  Communicating with Jay has been difficult, in large part due to repression he is suffering on the inside. As such, we do not have a thorough up-to-date report on his well-being at this time.

Gender Identity:

In October of 2014, Chase wrote to several supporters, “I am a transgender woman,” asking to be referred to as Maya Chase. In accordance with these stated wishes, supporters spread the word in blogs and via social media that Chase’s preferred name was Maya and pronouns were feminine. In a more recent letter, however, dated September 21, 2015, Chase explicitly requested that his legal name and male pronouns be used once again to identify him: “Also let me apologize for rushing so much in my last letter [that] I didn’t get to explain the sudden change of names. After a lot of thinking I’ve decided even though I am Bi/TS/GQ, I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my life as a Woman 24/7. So you can refer to me in mascul[ine] terms.” Letters from that date forward have been signed using “Jared” or “Jay.”

Jay was released from Illinois State Prison on November 6, 2020.