Overview
- Thirty additional people were charged in a superseding indictment tied to the Jan. 18 demonstration inside Cities Church, bringing the total to 39 defendants.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents have already arrested 25 of the newly charged individuals, with more arrests anticipated.
- The indictment alleges a coordinated 'takeover-style' operation involving intimidation and physical obstruction that forced the service to end and frightened congregants, including children.
- Charges cite the FACE Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act, with high-profile defendants such as Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and Nekima Levy Armstrong having pleaded not guilty and raising First Amendment arguments that prosecutors reject.
- Separately, congregant Ann Doucette filed a federal civil suit alleging a coordinated conspiracy that caused severe emotional distress and interfered with religious exercise.