The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that an abortion rights advocate who firebombed a Wisconsin pro-life group in 2022 following the release of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling received a 7.5 year term in federal prison last week.
“We proposed a 15-year prison sentence for the defendant. Julaine Appling, president emeritus of Wisconsin Family Action (WFA), the pro-life group that was firebombed, stated that the U.S. Attorney’s office had likewise suggested 12 to 15 years in jail. “We are unhappy with the judge’s ruling on a crime that the judge repeatedly referred to as ‘terrorism.'”
Obama appointee U.S. District Judge William Conley sentenced Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, of Madison, Wisconsin, to three years of supervised release and $32,000 in restitution, according to The Associated Press.
On November 20, Roychowdhury entered into a plea deal in which he acknowledged attacking Wisconsin Family Action’s Madison headquarters. In return for not receiving the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, Roychowdhury signed the agreement.
On May 8, 2022, early in the morning, there was a fiery attack. When law enforcement arrived at the scene of an ongoing fire inside the organization’s building, they discovered the remains of two mason jars, one of which had smoldered but had not ignited. Spray-painted on the exterior of the building were the words “If abortions are not safe, then you are not either,” a giant “A,” and the number “1312,” an insulting acronym that, when multiplied, stands for “ACAB” (All Cops are Bastards).
The DOJ claims that in March 2023, authorities considered Roychowdhury to be a potential suspect. After noticing Roychowdhury throwing away a partially consumed burrito in a public trash can, local police officials were able to retrieve it and extract DNA from the meal. At the scene of the crime, law enforcement had already taken DNA samples. A forensic biologist examined the two DNA samples on March 17, 2023, and discovered that they matched and were probably from the same individual.
At the Boston Logan International Airport, where Roychowdhury was scheduled to board a flight to Guatemala City, he was taken into custody by law enforcement that same month. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison for the single offense of attempting to cause harm with fire or explosives, according to officials.
Following the release of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs judgment, pro-life organizations and churches were the target of numerous attacks, including the firebombing. Since the judgment was leaked, 248 Catholic churches, 90 pro-life organizations, and pregnancy centers have been attacked, according to CatholicVote trackers. Nevertheless, as the DOJ pursues pro-life activists on FACE Act charges, Roychowdhury is among the few extreme pro-abortion advocates who have faced consequences.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate declared in a statement that the organization “will not stand for the use of violence or criminal behavior to express personal beliefs on any topic.”
“The FBI’s determination to vigorously investigate anyone who employs violent tactics to try to impose their opinions on others is what led to [the] sentencing,” Abbate stated.
“It is illegal and un-American to commit an act of terror, such as firebombing a business, due to one’s beliefs. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Director Stephen Dettelbach continued, “As [the] sentencing illustrates, it will not be tolerated.”
