Fran Trutt

Fran Stepanie Trutt is an American animal rights activist. She was convicted of an attempted murder of the president of a medical company in 1988.

Trutt planted a remote-controlled bomb in the parking space of Leon Hirsch, president of the U.S. Surgical Corporation, on 10 November 1988. US Surgical was engaged in animal testing, which Trutt strongly opposed. Shortly after the bomb was planted, Trutt's supposed allies were revealed to be private security agents working for US Surgical (through a company called Perceptions International). These agents had kept authorities informed of Trutt's actions, and the bomb was quickly removed. During a search of her home three other bombs and a sawed-off shotgun were found by police.

During her trial, Trutt claimed that the agents had encouraged and assisted the attempted bombing, and that she would not have planted the bomb without their urging — Trutt argued that US Surgical had deliberately steered her into the act in order to discredit her views. According to Trutt, Perceptions International agent Mary Sapone convinced her to follow through after she lost her nerve, while another agent, Marcus Mead, drove her to the site [http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/mary-mcfate-sapone-gun-lobby-nra-spy-3.html] . Trutt claimed that the actions of the agents constituted entrapment, but this was not upheld by the court. Trutt accepted a plea bargain which saw her serve a reduced prison term.Fact|date=February 2007 She turned down a shorter sentence to allow her dogs visitation rights.

She was also a math teacher at Robert Louis Stevenson High School in New York City.

[A Serious Case of Puppy Love, Time Magazine http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,956411,00.html]