Three Florida residents pleaded guilty to charges related to attacks on pregnancy resource centers in Florida, including in Winter Park, between May and July 2022. Caleb Freestone, Amber Smith-Stewart, and Annarella Rivera targeted pro-life reproductive health facilities that provided resources and counseling on abortion alternatives. The defendants vandalized the buildings with threatening messages and pleaded guilty to conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate employees of the targeted pregnancy resource centers.
The defendants admitted to participating in the attacks during nighttime hours while wearing masks and dark clothing to conceal their identities. They spray-painted the facilities with messages such as “If abortions aren’t safe then neither are you,” “YOUR TIME IS UP!!,” “WE’RE COMING FOR U,” and “We are everywhere.” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division condemned the acts, stating that violence and threats have no place in the discourse about reproductive rights.
The DOJ announced an indictment against Rivera and Gabriella Oropesa in March for engaging in a conspiracy to prevent employees of reproductive health services facilities from providing those services. Freestone and Smith-Stewart, who were charged in January, were also considered co-conspirators. The messages left by the suspects were consistent with those attributed to the far-left group Jane’s Revenge, which claimed responsibility for vandalizing dozens of pro-life centers following the leaked Supreme Court decision that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Similar facilities in Hollywood and Hialeah, Florida, were also targeted in the attacks carried out by Rivera, Freestone, and Smith-Stewart. They were accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) by using threats of force to intimidate and interfere with employees at the pro-life center in Winter Haven. The FACE Act prohibits the use or threat of force to “injure, intimidate, or interfere” with someone seeking reproductive health services or intentionally damaging a facility that provides such services.
Sentencing for the defendants is scheduled for a later date, with all three facing a maximum of 10 years in prison for their involvement in the attacks on the pregnancy resource centers. The DOJ emphasized its commitment to holding accountable those who attempt to interfere with access to reproductive health services. The department condemned the defendants’ actions and highlighted the importance of standing against violence and threats in discussions related to reproductive rights.
The guilty pleas from Freestone, Smith-Stewart, and Rivera underscore the seriousness of the crimes committed against the pregnancy resource centers. The defendants’ actions — which involved vandalism and threats against employees — were intended to create fear and intimidation within the reproductive health facilities. Despite the defendants’ efforts to conceal their identities during the attacks, they were ultimately brought to justice for their unlawful behavior.
