A man who set a fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Illinois was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison.
Tyler Massengill has admitted using a homemade explosive to set a fire at the Peoria clinic in January, a few days after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law with additional legal protections for abortion procedures. No one was inside the clinic when the fire happened.
“I feel for the people who have lost their jobs. I’m not trying to play like I am victim at this. I was sincerely hurt,” Massengill, 32, said in court, apparently a reference to his belief that a former girlfriend had an abortion a few years ago.
Prosecutors, however, said the woman told the FBI that wasn't true.
U.S. District Judge James Shadid said people who typically visit the clinic for a variety of services have had to look elsewhere because of extensive damage to the building, WMBD-TV reported.
“And to add to your accomplishments, there’s the striking of fear, stress and inconvenience to thousands of patients and employees from the many other Planned Parenthood facilities who wonder if they are next on the list of misguided people like you," the judge said.
Shadid went slightly above the sentencing guidelines but below the possible maximum prison term of 20 years.
Defense attorney Karl Bryning asked for a five-year prison sentence, noting Massengill’s history of mental health problems and alcohol abuse.
In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered Massengill, a Chillicothe resident, to pay $1.45 million in restitution.
The clinic plans to reopen in 2024.
“Justice has been served. ... We stand in solidarity with the community in Peoria that continues to heal from this traumatic event," said Jennifer Welch, president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.
Israel bombarded Gaza early Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town in the north near the Lebanese border, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed's target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market.
Despite deepening opposition, Rep. Jim Jordan is expected to try a third vote to become House speaker, even as his Republican colleagues are explicitly warning the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump that no more threats or promises can win over their support.
Donald Trump is winning over swing state voters including in several states even leaning toward President Joe Biden, according to a recent poll by Bloomberg and Morning Consult.
A Russian-American journalist working for a U.S. government-funded media company has been detained in Russia and charged with failing to register as a “foreign agent,” her employer said Thursday.
Lawyer Sidney Powell pleaded guilty to reduced charges Thursday over efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia, becoming the second defendant in the sprawling case to reach a deal with prosecutors.
