CLEVELAND — An Alliance man has pleaded guilty in federal court for attempting to set fire to a Geauga County church prior to a drag event in March.
Aimenn Penny, 20, will be sentenced on January 29, 2024 after pleading guilty to one count of arson and one count of obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the violation of the Church Arson Prevention Act and a 10-year mandatory prison sentence that will run consecutively with any other prison term imposed for using fire to commit a federal felony.
Penny was arrested on March 31 by the FBI after allegedly using Molotov cocktails against the Community Church of Chesterland a week before it was set to host a drag queen brunch and story hour along with Chardon restaurant Element 41.
No one was injured in the attack and officials said while the incident destroyed the church's sign, it left only minimal damage. Penny was indicted in April on four counts, including two counts of arson.
Court documents show Penny decided to change his plea to guilty last week.
“Attempting to burn down the Community Church of Chesterland for their support of the LGBTQI+ community is reprehensible,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “There is no room in this country for such bias-motivated violence and terror, and the Justice Department will continue to protect all Americans in their free exercise of religious beliefs by vigorously prosecuting those who target houses of worship. Our churches should be safe havens for all people, not sites subjected to violence motivated by hate and vitriol.”
After Penny's attempt to burn down the church, area police asked organizers to cancel the April 1 drag queen brunch and story hour "in order to protect all involved, the children attending, and the residents of Chester Township." Organizers refused and the events took place without incident, despite the presence of protesters.
“Mr. Penny admitted to attempting to burn down a church because he did not like the way congregants chose to express their beliefs,” added Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Such acts of extremist violence are antithetical to core American values of freedom of expression and worship and we will not tolerate those who would use force to deny our citizens the free exercise of their rights.”
Previous Reporting:
- Geauga County pastor whose church hosted drag events among those testifying against controversial Ohio House Bill 6
- Grand jury indicts man accused of vandalizing Geauga County church
- Alliance man charged for vandalizing Geauga County church ahead of drag queen brunch and story hour
- Geauga County church vandalized ahead of drag show lunch