Related Federal Cases
- Indiana State U. Student Threatens Professors, Gets Fed Charges · Indiana
- Indiana Man Gets 14 Months for Threatening MI Election Worker · Michigan
- Chicago Robber Gets 4 Years for Tech Store Heists · Illinois
- Chicago Robber Gets 10 Years for Multi-State Heists · Illinois
- South Bend Man Gets 37 Years for Kidnapping, Gunfire Ransom · Oregon
INDIANA MAN SENTENCED FOR DAMAGING PLANNED PARENTHOOD
A 28-year-old man from Ellettsville, Indiana, has been sentenced for damaging property and equipment at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bloomington.
Benjamin David Curell pleaded guilty to violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a federal crime that makes it illegal to damage the property of a reproductive health services facility because of the services offered there. Curell was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay more than $22,000 in restitution.
Curell’s sentence is to run concurrently with a felony burglary charge he received in state court. He was arrested in 2013 after breaking into the clinic during the early morning hours and causing extensive damage with a hatchet.
Curell admitted to police that he broke into the clinic to shut it down because it performed abortion services. The case was investigated by the Bloomington Resident Agency of the FBI and the Bloomington Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Jackson for the Southern District of Indiana.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels said the federal government will continue to aggressively prosecute violent acts against reproductive health clinics. The incident occurred on April 11, 2013, and marked a violent interference with the lawful work of the clinic.
The FBI and Bloomington Police Department worked together to investigate the case, and their efforts led to a conviction for Curell. The sentence is a reminder that the federal government takes these types of crimes seriously and will pursue justice for those who commit them.
RELATED: Valparaiso Man Hit with $123,523 Restitution for Wire Fraud Conviction
RELATED: Cox Gets 15 Years for Child Abuse Material
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
