Neo-Nazi who firebombed a church hosting drag show events sentenced to 18 years in prison
(Aimenn D. Penny seen at event wearing miliary gear, Image credit: DoJ)
On January 30, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that an Ohio man was sentenced on Monday to 216 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to burn down a church because of its support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, Ohio, was arrested and charged last year with:
- one count of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act,
- one count of using fire to commit a federal felony,
- one count of malicious use of explosive materials, and
- one count of possessing a destructive device.
On Oct. 23, 2023, Penny pleaded guilty to the church arson hate crime and using fire and explosives to commit a felony.
Penny was reportedly a Neo-Nazi connected with the White Lives Matter group.
Background: March 25, 2023, Penny made Molotov cocktails and drove to the Community Church of Chesterland (CCC), in Chesterland, Ohio. Angered by the church’s plan to host two drag events the following weekend, Penny threw two Molotov cocktails at the church, hoping to burn it to the ground. Through Penny’s guilty plea, he admitted to using force through fire and explosives, intending to obstruct CCC congregants in their enjoyment and expression of their religious beliefs.
“This sentence holds Mr. Penny accountable for carrying out violence against an Ohio church because he disagreed with the way congregants chose to express their beliefs,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Such acts of extremist violence have no place in our communities and the Justice Department is committed to bringing to justice those who would use or threaten violence to prevent their fellow citizens from freely exercising their fundamental rights.”
“Aimenn Penny will spend the next 18 years in prison because he committed crimes fueled by hate, attempting to burn down a church because its members supported the LGBTQI+ community,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Hate crimes like Penny’s hurt not only the individual target, but the entire community, causing people to fear attack based on who they love and undermining the sense of safety within places of worship. Violent, bias-motivated extremism has no place in our country, and our office will aggressively prosecute those who commit such crimes.”
The FBI Cleveland Field Office investigated the case.
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(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
(Cover photos of Aimenn D. Penny, Image credits: Twitter)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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