Wisconsin man sentenced to over 7 years in prison for firebombing pro-life organization

[Michie]

A man convicted of firebombing a pro-life organization’s office in Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to over seven years in federal prison on April 10.

The 29-year-old man, Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive for firebombing the Wisconsin Family Action office. The bombing, which he carried out in May 2022, occurred early in the morning when the office was empty and there were no injuries.

Roychowdhury launched his attack just days after an unidentified person leaked a draft of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The firebombing was accompanied by a threat graffitied on the pro-life group’s exterior walls: “If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either.”

“Roychowdhury’s arson was an act of domestic terrorism,” U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin said in a statement released by the Department of Justice.

Continued below.

Wisconsin man sentenced to prison for bombing pro-life organization

Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, had pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

 

[AlexB23]

A man convicted of firebombing a pro-life organization’s office in Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to over seven years in federal prison on April 10.

The 29-year-old man, Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive for firebombing the Wisconsin Family Action office. The bombing, which he carried out in May 2022, occurred early in the morning when the office was empty and there were no injuries.

Roychowdhury launched his attack just days after an unidentified person leaked a draft of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The firebombing was accompanied by a threat graffitied on the pro-life group’s exterior walls: “If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either.”

“Roychowdhury’s arson was an act of domestic terrorism,” U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin said in a statement released by the Department of Justice.

Continued below.

Wisconsin man sentenced to prison for bombing pro-life organization

Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, had pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Man, this is sickening. And, this guy is in my state, almost local, bro Michie. I looked into him, and he worked so close to where I work (not gonna say), within a few hundreds of feet (meters). This guy needs a 20+ year prison sentence and psychological help. 7 years is not enough for him.


Here is a summary of the article:

In an article published on April 15, 2024, by Tyler Arnold, a man named Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury was sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for firebombing the Wisconsin Family Action office. The incident occurred in May 2022, just days after a draft of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. The firebombing was accompanied by a threatening graffiti on the group's exterior walls.

Roychowdhury pled guilty to one charge of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive. The bombing occurred early in the morning when the office was empty, and there were no injuries. U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O'Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism, which is defined as cowardly and profoundly undemocratic.

Christine File, the president of Wisconsin Family Action, expressed disappointment with the sentence, which was less than the recommended 15 years in prison. She believed that the defendant's act of domestic terrorism threatened civil society and constitutional rights. In addition to his 90-month sentence, Roychowdhury received three years of supervised release and a $32,000 fine.

The article also reported that attacks on pro-life organizations, churches, and pregnancy centers have increased since the leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion, with at least 115 organizations being vandalized over the past two years. Most of these incidents have gone unsolved, prompting criticism from Catholic groups, pro-life organizations, and Republican lawmakers.

CatholicVote sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting information on how the Justice Department intends to combat these attacks, which they viewed as voter intimidation and suppression. Garland claimed that the department has dedicated full resources to prosecuting these incidents but that most occur at night, making them difficult to solve.

Alternatively, several pro-life activists have faced convictions for blocking access to abortion clinics under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, some of whom could face more than a decade in prison. Overall, the article highlights the increasing tensions and threats against pro-life organizations and the challenges law enforcement faces in addressing these incidents.

 

[The Barbarian]

Poetic justice. Why would firebombing a pro-life office be any less criminal than firebombing an abortion clinic?

 

[RileyG]

May God lead him to repentance. Amen.

 

[RileyG]

Poetic justice. Why would firebombing a pro-life office be any less criminal than firebombing an abortion clinic?

Both are wrong, but no one said anything about bombing an abortion clinic.

 

[The Barbarian]

Both are wrong, but no one said anything about bombing an abortion clinic.

That's the poetic justice. It works both ways. No matter what your persuasion is, there's no excuse for violence to intimidate others.

 

[RileyG]

That's the poetic justice. It works both ways. No matter what your persuasion is, there's no excuse for violence to intimidate others.

Absolutely correct!