Bondi Announces 2 New Arrests Connected To Don Lemon Incident
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday that federal agents have arrested two additional suspects connected to last month’s storming of a St. Paul church, vowing swift accountability for what she described as a coordinated attack on religious worship.
Bondi identified the newly arrested individuals as Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson. The arrests stem from a January 18 incident at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, whose pastor also serves as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. With the latest developments, nine individuals have now been charged in connection with the disruption.
According to Bondi, the group is accused of conspiring to violate constitutional rights and of violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The 1994 law makes it a crime to use force, threats, or obstruction to “injure, intimidate, or interfere” with an individual’s right to freely practice their religion. Bondi said the two newly arrested suspects are expected to face charges similar to those already filed in the case.
“If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you,” Bondi wrote on X.
Video footage from the January incident shows anti-ICE protesters chanting “ICE out” and interrupting a church service, effectively preventing congregants from worshiping. The Justice Department said the demonstration crossed a clear line, escalating from protest into criminal conduct.
Violations of the FACE Act can carry fines and potential jail time, depending on the severity of the offense and whether aggravating factors are present.
The new arrests follow last week’s detention of former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort, who were also charged for their alleged involvement in the same protest. Federal charging documents allege both violated the FACE Act.
A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota initially rejected prosecutors’ first attempt to charge Lemon, calling the case “frivolous.” Prosecutors later refiled charges with additional documentation.
Lemon and Fort have both claimed they were present solely to report on the protest and did not participate in the disruption.
Lemon and three other defendants were released Friday after their initial court appearances. Lemon said he intends to fight the charges after a federal grand jury indicted him, along with several journalists and activists, in U.S. District Court in Minnesota.
The defendants are accused of conspiring to deprive church congregants of their civil rights and interfering with religious freedom inside a house of worship, reviving a case that had been dismissed earlier by a magistrate judge.
The indictment names nine defendants, including seven protesters, Lemon, and another journalist. Seven have appeared in court so far, with four released Friday.
Defense attorneys argue the case implicates First Amendment protections, claiming it centers on political protest and newsgathering. Lemon and Fort have said they entered the church to cover opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
One of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, also serves as an ICE official.
On Friday afternoon, Lemon appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles wearing a white suit. Prosecutors sought a $100,000 bond and requested travel restrictions limiting Lemon to Minneapolis and New York. A magistrate judge denied both requests.
Lemon was not required to enter a plea at that hearing. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 9 in federal court in Minneapolis.
The 14-page indictment details advance planning for the protest, referred to by organizers as “Operation Pullup.” It cites organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong as saying demonstrators intended to “disrupt business as usual” and keep their plans confidential.
According to the indictment, as pastor Jonathan Parnell began his sermon, Levy Armstrong interrupted with loud proclamations that “the time for judgment had come.” Other demonstrators shouted and blew whistles in what prosecutors described as a coordinated “takeover attack on the church.”
The indictment further alleges that congregants perceived protesters’ gestures as hostile and interpreted them as potential threats of violence. It also claims Lemon and Fort surrounded Parnell and questioned him aggressively in a manner prosecutors say was intended to intimidate him.