This story was updated on December 23, 2024 with information about another conviction.
Three perpetrators of violence against pregnancy resource centers in Florida pleaded guilty to federal offenses on Friday, June 14.
Caleb Freestone (left) and Amber Smith-Stewart (right) / CompassCare
In the summer of 2022, Caleb Freestone, Amber Smith-Stewart, and Annarella Rivera engaged in a series of targeted attacks on pro-life pregnancy help centers in Florida.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, they have pleaded guilty “to conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten or intimidate employees of pregnancy resource centers in the free exercise of the right to provide and seek to provide reproductive health services.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date, and each of the defendants could face up to 10 years in prison.
The perpetrators targeted pregnancy resource centers, admitting that they vandalized the centers with threatening messages such as “We’re coming for U!” and “Your time is up!” The centers were in Winter Haven, Hollywood, and Hialeah, Florida.
“Violence and threats have no place in the national discourse about reproductive rights,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a press statement.
“The Justice Department is committed to holding accountable those who seek to interfere with access to reproductive health services in our country, without regard to the point of view of the defendants or their victims,” she added.
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.
In April 2023, First Liberty, a conservative public interest firm near Dallas, filed suit against the same defendants under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act for threats and attacks on pregnancy centers and their staff.
In September, Freestone and Rivera allegedly crashed the Heartbeat fundraising gala, “where they shouted obscenities, disparaged Heartbeat’s staff, volunteers, and supporters, and leafletted the venue with propaganda hoping to dissuade women from using Heartbeat’s services.”
According to filings in the case, the parties reached a settlement agreement in January of this year, and the case was closed in February.
In 2022, the year the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, dozens of pro-life pregnancy centers were victims of attacks.
Although hard to quantify the monetary costs to pregnancy centers, CareNet estimated that over $400,000 worth of damage has been done to the 18 centers in its network that have reported incidents. They’ve also had to spend funds to beef up security.
In June 2022, CompassCare near Buffalo, New York, was firebombed and vandalized. The damage included broken windows, a burned office, and spray painted messages on the property.
It will cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars and take several months to repair the building,” Jim Harden, the CEO of CompassCare, told the Catholic News Agency.
Update: Gabriella Oropesa was convicted on December 19, 2024 for her role in the same attack on pregnancy help centers. Her sentencing is expected to take place in March, and she could face up to 10 years in prison on the conspiracy charge.
TO OUR READERS: Do you have a story idea, or do you want to give us feedback about this or any other story? Please email us: info@ministrywatch.com