Boston, Mass., Apr 13, 2023 / 09:17 am (CNA).
President Biden’s Department of Justice is facing criticism after it was reported that the DOJ recommended zero jail time in a plea deal involving a suspect charged with destruction of property at a Catholic church in Washington in June 2022.
The damage at the St. Louise Catholic Church in Bellevue, Washington, amounted to more than $30,000, which included the destruction of an Italian-made Blessed Virgin Mary statue, anti-Catholic graffiti, and smashed windows.
The defendant, Maeve Nota — who was 31 years old when arrested back in 2022 — is also being charged on the state level with a hate crime and assault. During the attack, Nota also spray-painted a church employee’s face and clothes.
Nota — who reportedly identifies as a transgender female — entered into a plea agreement in March with the DOJ. In the agreement, Nota pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of destruction to religious property.
The crime holds a maximum prison sentence of one year, up to a $100,000 fine, up to five years probation, and supervision following release from prison. If the court accepts the DOJ’s recommended sentence, Nota will serve no jail time but be sentenced to three years probation, according to the March 14 plea agreement. Requirements of probation can differ depending on the crime, such as appearing in court and reporting to a probation officer.
According to the plea agreement, the court makes the final decision on Nota’s sentence and doesn’t have to accept the DOJ’s recommendation.
The plea agreement says that Nota attacked the church “because of the religious character of the property.”
“Who would have known many months later the Department of Justice recommends no jail time for a hate crime… oh yeah I guess we all would have known. Thank goodness for Biden-era policies that ruin America and don’t hold criminals accountable,” Twitter user Tyrel said.
Some contrasted the DOJ’s recommendation for Nota’s punishment and its aggressive prosecution of the pro-life father of seven Mark Houck, who was acquitted of his federal charges in January. Houck, a Catholic, was accused of trying to stop abortion services by physically pushing an abortion clinic escort while sidewalk counseling with his 12-year-old son outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood. He maintained he was protecting his son from the harassment of the clinic escort.
“Let’s all stop pretending @JoeBiden is #Catholic. His @DOJ prosecuted devout Catholic Mark Houck for protecting his son against an abortion activist, he faced 11 years. This transgender that vandalized causing $10,000 worth of damage gets NOTHING!” The Crusade Channel tweeted.
Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project — a nonprofit with a mission of supporting “constitutionalist judges” — told Fox News Digital: “It is very clear that the Biden Justice Department has politicized and weaponized the FACE Act to go after pro-life Christians praying outside of abortion clinics like Mark Houck while turning a blind eye to violent felons terrorizing and badly damaging Catholic churches like Maeve Nota.”
The FACE Act prohibits “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.”
The Department of Justice has faced criticism for its disproportionate use of FACE Act charges against pro-life protesters in the wake of more than 100 pro-abortion attacks following news in May 2022 that Roe v. Wade would be overturned.
Roe was overturned that June, but since its overturning was anticipated, there have been 60 recorded pro-abortion attacks on American pro-life pregnancy centers. Law enforcement has only brought FACE Act charges against a total of five people in connection with the attacks against pregnancy centers.
The Daily Signal reported that 26 pro-lifers were charged with the FACE Act in 2022 alone. Eight more pro-lifers were charged with FACE Act violations in February.
“Despite these psychopathic actions, the DOJ recommends ZERO jail time for Maeve Nota, 31-year-old transgender individual who vandalized the St. Louise Catholic Church in Bellevue, WA, & smashed a police car. This is the exact opposite of how they treat Christians & pro-lifers,” Twitter user Shadow Bird said.
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
This article’s headline and first line is very devious and insidious in implicating President Biden in not recommending jail time for the Church attacker. One has to be logical in thinking critically that the President in his person and official duty by the principle of subsidiarity and delegation does not handle matters like this and decide on them. Shame on the author and CNA for being dishonest and deceptive in writing.
My thoughts exactly.
It’s his Justice Department.
But the President sets the culture and agenda of his presidency by his appointments and priorities. The buck ultimately stops at his desk. Why are you on a Christian site defending Biden, seriously?
Agree!
Now, he’s looking for snitches inside the Church. IRA terror warnings popping up in the news … why not just elect Sean Penn or some other foggy-brained celebrity?
I hate to burst your self righteous bubble:
Per WIKI
President Biden will make many nominations to key roles in the Department of Justice, including the attorney general, deputy attorney general, and solicitor general. As with all other nominations, almost all of them have to be confirmed by the United States Senate before they can start their service.
Saying Joey has no influence is like saying he’s Pro life – incorrect
The President sets the tone by the people he appoints. The direction of the people he appointed to head the DOJ are clearly anti Catholic.
Then about time he spoke up about the destruction his people have done. He can speak up, oh that’s right it doesn’t fit his agenda. Makes me sick that I have to hear from him how Catholic he is, well like I’m doing- speak up do something- your are the President and Catholic.
On the contrary, it’s very clear stating that Joe Biden’s DOJ recommends no jail time. That’s true. Is it not his DOJ? The crimes against pro life people and their property are well documented and include known breaches against statuary laws, i.e intimidation of Supreme Court judges; yet, this grotesque gaggle of leftist politicians in positions to prevent continued crimes against pro life Americans look the other way as their seemingly demonically influenced Cult members rampage with little to no consequences. That’s hardly justice and hardly behavior that merits anything other than condemnation.
The indisputable personal moral depravity of President Biden, including his venomous anti-Catholic bigotry, sets the agenda for his entire administration.
The headline says, “The Biden DOJ (Department of Justice.) The DOJ is part of the Biden administration. The President controls the DOJ through hiring and firing. “Unlike state justice departments, which are often headed by an individual not answerable to the governor, the federal Justice Department is only ever “independent” of the president to the extent that there are a sufficient number of principled individuals willing to risk getting fired by refusing to cooperate with the president. This is not a system that adequately discourages abuses of power.”
Joshua Holzer, assistant professor of political science at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. So I’d say, the buck stops with Biden.
Don’t be so naïve. Have you ever seen an American president so against the Catholic Church? Not that there aren’t plenty of Supich like bishops tap dancing around what the church has traditionally stood for. Biden and the democrats want the Church brought under control just like in China. Biden could care less about social issues. All he wants is to solidify power for his socialist ilk.
Biden is the public face of the leftist viewpoint which says it is ok to attack catholics because they have the nerve to oppose abortion til the day of birth. He is a leftist DEM BEFORE he is a catholic. His supposed catholicism is nothing but a campaign tactic to pander to those catholic voters who are credulous enough to believe someone with radical views on abortion are actually “devout” catholics. Political tone is set at the TOP of a party and an administration. Sadly for normal Americans, at this moment Biden and the most radical members of our society hold power. The examples of ineptitude of Biden and his party leaders are legion. ( I especially enjoyed the “male” Biden appointee with the shaved head who dressed as a woman and had a hobby of stealing luggage at the airports; for which he was never punished.See it on video.) One can only pray that next election, those voters with brains and a spine outnumber the voters who have neither. On the other hand, the Chinese may have stopped our elections by then.
It is Xiden’s Justice Dept. and as every good democrat socialist knows, they do the bidding of the socialist President, even this incapacitated socialist President.
When the Justice Dept. no longer desires to mete out justice according to duly passed laws and consonant with the Constitution, the government is inviting vigilantism to execute justice instead. It is why we have a 2nd Amendment.
Joe Biden has a long history of hypocritical statements and questionable policies. In the 90s it was, “Lock the S.O.B.s up!!” Any kind of brush with the law was potentially trumped into a status punishable by prison time and permanent loss of freedoms, no matter how miniscule or even non-existent. If it could be done it was, and the conservative community went right along with the program. Obama further provoked the police state when he beefed up surveillance and opened the door for trigger happy ex-soldiers to secure work as police officers. Now, it’s free crack pipes. Biden should have never been in line for the presidency, to begin with, let alone via the auspices of a protest movement.
Alicia and Gerald both make a valid point: How can you hold someone who’s mentally incompetent responsible for anything?
As more and more people abandon traditional religion, behaviors become more and more psychotic. The litmus test for imposing punishment should not, therefore, be whether someone is mentally compromised, but whether someone is educable and understands the difference between aggressive behavior causing harm to others and non-aggressive behavior not causing others harm. That’s a simple test even someone blinded by a life given over to sin can comprehend. We need not give these people excuses to persecute us. They have excuses of their own a plenty.
Deacon, with respect, I’m not sure I agree with you. “Mentally-incompetent people” need to be taught the difference between “right and wrong” and how to choose “right” over “wrong.” If a person, including those who are diagnosed as “mentally-incompetent,” is incapable of understanding “right and wrong”, they should be housed in a protective, SECURE facility or home and cared for by loving people who understand their level of comprehension and can help them to have a happy life and be loved and appreciated. They should be protected and the rest of us should also be protected from any acts that they commit because of their disability that makes comprehension of right and wrong impossible.
Was the person who committed the vandalism really “mentally-incompetent” and therefore incapable of comprehending right and wrong?
Or was he quite competent, but filled with hate and anger, based on a plethora of pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ propaganda, and confusion over his gender based on the advice of well-meaning but very misguided health care professionals who diagnosed him as “trans” and assisted him to live a lie rather than seeking the truth?
If the former, then we need to be concerned for the lack of protection for him and others around him, and advocate that he be secured in a loving environment so that others will not have to fear further acts of violence.
If the latter, then we need to be concerned for his soul, and try, in any way we can (which might mean that we can only pray for him), to help him realize that it is possible to disagree with someone or something without committing a violent crime.
I think you’ve missed my point. My “mentally incompetent” characterization was directed at Biden and not the criminal. My comment was meant for responders here who exonerated Biden from any responsibility for his Justice Department’s failure to execute the laws of the land.
Biden, through his efforts in his administration, has made, enabled and supported the DOJ that is what it is today.