Ohio Man Who Threw Molotov Cocktails at a Church Gets 18 Years in Prison

An Ohio man who prosecutors said had tried to burn down a church in anger by throwing Molotov cocktails at it last year because it planned to host two drag shows was sentenced on Monday to 18 years in prison, federal authorities said.

The man, Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, Ohio, who was arrested and charged after the March 25 episode, pleaded guilty in October to violating the Church Arson Prevention Act and to using fire and explosives to commit a felony, according to federal prosecutors, who had recommended a 20-year sentence.

“We hope this significant sentence sends a clear and resounding message that this type of hate-fueled attack against a church will not be tolerated in our country,” Kristen Clarke, who leads the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said in a statement on Tuesday.

John W. Greven, a lawyer for Mr. Penny, said in an interview on Tuesday that his client intended to appeal the sentence. He called Mr. Penny’s case “a classic example” of a young person looking for acceptance and turning to the internet to find it.

“I feel he was brainwashed by some people because really there is nothing in his past that would ever indicate that he would do something like this,” Mr. Greven said. “It’s sad all the way around.”

The Community Church of Chesterland had planned to host two drag shows on April 1, 2023. Days before the scheduled events, on March 25, the church reported to local police that the building had been damaged by Molotov cocktails during the night, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. There were scorch marks on the front door and a sign outside the building, according to the complaint. A sign on the property had also been damaged.

The drag shows — one drag show meant for adults and one drag story hour for families — were held as planned.

“I’m not going to pretend that his violent and hateful acts didn’t scare some people,” Jess Peacock, the pastor of the church, said at the sentencing hearing on Monday. “It did. We had a few people leave the church, and the preschool which operated out of our building chose to find a new facility.”

The Cleveland Field Office of the F.B.I. learned during the investigation that Mr. Penny was responsible for the attack and that he was a member of an Ohio group called White Lives Matter, which has “racist, pro-Nazi, and homophobic views,” according to the complaint.

Earlier that month, members of that group had attended a drag event in Wadsworth, Ohio, where they carried swastika flags and shouted racial and homophobic slurs and “Heil Hitler,” according to the complaint. Mr. Penny attended that event and wore camouflage pants, a tactical vest, and a jacket with a firearm patch, the complaint said.

Shows with drag performers in which assumptions about gender are challenged have in recent years become a battleground over gender and identity in the United States. Supporters see family shows as opportunities to welcome young people who may not feel comfortable in traditional gender roles, while opponents, often conservatives and Republicans, argue that the performers aim to target children and sexualize them.

Several states, including Tennessee, Idaho, and Texas, have considered legislation that would rein in the performances. The Supreme Court in November refused to revive a Florida law that restricted the performances.

The Community Church of Chesterland prides itself as “an open & affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ,” according to its Facebook page. The church community encourages people to be themselves always, and contends that “legislation cannot tell you who you are” and neither can “religious extremists.”

In a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, the church said that it was “relieved to be able to finally embrace some closure to what happened last year, but we do not celebrate Mr. Penny’s sentence.”

“It is a tragedy that ignorance and hate is going to put this young man’s life on hold for almost 20 years,” the church wrote. “It is also tragic that progressive churches, synagogues, and mosques must expend so much energy and resources on vigilance against the violence of small minded people.”