Aimenn D. Penny, left, firebombed a church that hosted a drag brunch. (Photos via DOJ)
A federal judge sentenced a man to 18 years in prison after he admitted to throwing Molotov cocktails at an Ohio church that was set to host a drag show, prosecutors say.
Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, Ohio, pleaded guilty in October to violating the Church Arson Prevention Act and to using fire and explosives to commit a felony. At Monday’s sentencing hearing, Penny did not apologize and maintained that he committed the act in an effort to “protect the children,” the Columbus Dispatch reported. He reportedly said he’s against men dressing as women and vice versa.
“Especially in a place of worship,” Penny said. “I didn’t hurt anyone.”
The Community Church of Chesterland reported to police that someone tried to firebomb the church in the early morning hours of March 25, 2023. There were burn marks on the front door of the church and a sign on the exterior of the building. Church leaders suspected the act was tied to their upcoming drag queen events on April 1, 2023. They received threats about hosting the event.
Investigators identified Penny as a suspect and arrested him on March 31, 2023, later adding a hate crime charge. He had attended an anti-drag show rally in Wadsworth earlier in March 2023 as a member of White Lives Matter, Ohio, a group with “racist, pro-Nazi, and homophobic views,” the criminal complaint said. FBI agents obtained Penny’s phone history which placed him at the church the night of the firebombing, a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors last week said.
After his arrest, he admitted to FBI agents that he threw the Molotov cocktails at the church with the intent of burning it down. He said the night of the incident he became “more and more angry” after watching videos online about drag shows in France.
“Penny stated that he was trying to protect children and stop the drag show event,” prosecutors wrote.
He also said he was doing “God’s work” and his only regret was the church didn’t burn to the ground.
Penny’s arrest didn’t stop his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Feds intercepted a letter he tried to send from jail to fellow White Lives Matter group members urging them to firebomb the Akron Civic Center which also was hosting a drag queen event, the memo stated. He even gave them the recipe he used for the Molotov cocktails, prosecutors said.
“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,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a press release. “This defendant tried to burn down a church simply because its members created space for and provided support to the LGBTQ+ community.”
Jess Peacock, pastor at Community Church of Chesterland, said at the sentencing hearing that the firebombing scared away some members and the preschool held at the church. But the church attracted new members, making it stronger.
“Mr. Penny, you failed,” Peacock said, according to the Dispatch. “Yes, you failed. It’s because hate will always fail.”
