Man gets nearly 20 years in prison for firebombing Ohio church that planned to host drag show events

CHESTERLAND, Ohio — An Ohio man was sentenced to prison for attempting to burn down a church because of its support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Aimenn Penny, 20, of Alliance, was arrested and charged in March 2023 with one count of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act, using fire to commit a federal felony, malicious use of explosive materials, and possessing a destructive device, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). He pleaded guilty to the church arson hate crime and using fire and explosives to commit a felony in October 2023.

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On Monday, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

In March 2023, Penny made Molotov cocktails and drove to the Community Church of Chesterland, in northeast Ohio.

Penny was “angered” by the church’s plans to host two drag events and threw two Molotov cocktails at the church with the hope it would burn to the ground, according to court documents.

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“This sentence holds Mr. Penny accountable for carrying out violence against an Ohio church because he disagreed with the way congregants chose to express their beliefs. Such acts of extremist violence have no place in our communities and the Justice Department is committed to bringing to justice those who would use or threaten violence to prevent their fellow citizens from freely exercising their fundamental rights,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said.

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