Alleged white supremacist hurled Molotov cocktails at church ahead of drag shows, feds say

Robert Wang, USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read
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CANTON, Ohio — A 20-year-old Ohio man, accused of being a member of a white supremacist group, is facing federal charges alleging he attacked a church with explosive devices a week before the church was to host two drag shows.

Federal agents unveiled the charges Friday against Aimenn Penny in a criminal complaint.

He's accused of malicious use of explosive materials to commit arson and receiving or possessing a destructive device. A statement by the Justice Department said Penny, if convicted, faces five to 20 years in prison on the first charge and up to 10 years on the second charge.

The complaint said Penny, on March 11, also distributed flyers for a White Lives Matter protest against a drag show story reading for children in Wadsworth, a city roughly 40 miles south of Cleveland.

It's not clear if Penny has an attorney or if he is in custody. The case against him had not yet been added to the federal courts' online docket system as of Sunday  afternoon. Penny was not listed in public records and could not be reached by USA TODAY Sunday. 

Investigation: Molotov cocktail remnants discovered at church

On March 25, the Community Church of Chesterland  in Chester Township, just east of Cleveland, reported to police that someone had thrown Molotov cocktails at the church the previous night. An FBI agent based in Cleveland assigned to investigate terrorist attacks included in an affidavit accusing Penny pictures showing scorch marks on a door of the church and the destruction of a sign.

Church officials reported that they had gotten hate mail and messages threatening protests and violence in response to two drag show events the church scheduled for Saturday, according to the complaint.

Investigators said they recovered broken glass from a vodka bottle and beer bottle, a cloth material that appeared to have been in the bottles, a matchstick and plastic spray bottle filled with gasoline.

Authorities submitted a photo of Aimenn Penny at a March 11, 2023 "White Lives Matter" protest in a criminal complaint.
Authorities submitted a photo of Aimenn Penny at a March 11, 2023 "White Lives Matter" protest in a criminal complaint.

Nazi memorabilia found at suspect's home

According to the complaint:

The Cleveland FBI got a tip that Penny was responsible for the attack. Using cellphone location data, they determined that his phone had been in the area of the church about the estimated time of the attack.

The FBI said it executed a warrant search of Penny's Alliance home on Friday.

The complaint said Penny admitted to FBI agents that he made the cocktails and deployed them at the church to try to burn it down. He said his goal was to try to "protect children and stop the drag show event."

Penny said "he became more and more angry after watching internet videos of news feeds and drag shows in France and decided to attack the church."

FBI agents said they found in Penny's home "a Nazi flag, Nazi memorabilia, a White Lives Matter of Ohio T-shirt, a gas mask, multiple rolls of blue painter's paint and gas cans."

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Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Ohio man charged with arson against church holding drag event: feds