On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, pro-life advocate Paul Vaughn received sentencing following his January conviction of violating the FACE Act and participating in a so-called “conspiracy against rights” in Tennessee. According to a press release from TC Public Relations, which represents Vaughn’s defense team at the Thomas More Society, Vaughn was sentenced to three years of supervised release and has been spared prison time.
Vaughn was facing a maximum combined penalty of 11 years in federal prison.
Vaughn was indicted on October 3, 2022 for his participation in a peaceful pro-life gathering at a Carafem abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in March of 2021. As Live Action News previously reported, “Two days [after Vaughn’s indictment], around 7:20 am, FBI agents armed with drawn assault weapons raided the Vaughn home, placing Vaughn in handcuffs in front of his terrified children and taking him away. The arresting agents refused to provide any information or explanation to Vaughn’s bewildered wife,” as can be seen in video of the incident.
Five other individuals were ultimately prosecuted on felony-level charges identical to Vaughn’s, related to the same 2021 event at Carafem. According to Vaughn’s attorney, Steve Crampton, the event was “a peaceful demonstration by entirely peaceable citizens—filled with prayer, hymn-singing, and worship—and oriented toward persuading expecting mothers not to abort their babies.” All five were subsequently found guilty.
In addition, four others, including World War II concentration camp survivor Eva Edl, were convicted of misdemeanor-level FACE Act violations stemming from the same event.
Following his sentencing, Vaughn responded, saying:
We rejoice in God’s plans. Because this is at the heart a spiritual battle, we are thankful to have a strong advocate in the Thomas More Society. Not only are they experts at law, but they deeply understand the spiritual battle raging across our land.
We will appeal to have this unlawful use of the law overturned. We must stand and fight for what is right; we cannot bow down to the lie. Laws have to be grounded in truth; they have to align with the ultimate Law Giver, who is Christ our Lord. The false narratives plaguing our nation will fall when we stand up to them. That is what this case is about, and I’m ever thankful to have a legal team who understands that truth and who is willing to fight for it all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary.
Thomas More attorney Steve Crampton, who defended Vaughn, stated:
We are pleased the judge has shown leniency to Paul at today’s sentencing hearing, and I know Paul is incredibly thankful to be able to celebrate Independence Day with his family. But it remains the case that his conviction is a deep injustice.
The Declaration of Independence, formally adopted on this day 248 years ago, famously states: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men… are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ On the anniversary of our nation’s charter declaring such rights ‘inalienable,’ Paul Vaughn and his co-defendants stand convicted of defending the inalienable right to life.
The weaponized and evidence-free charges brought here by the Biden Department of Justice against peaceful pro-lifers should have never been filed.… We will continue to advocate tirelessly for pro-lifers like Paul, to make sure that the FACE Act is never again weaponized by the Department of Justice against its ideological opponents.
According to TC Public Relations’ press release, “Thomas More Society attorneys are now preparing to proceed with an appeal on behalf of Vaughn, which will seek to overturn his conviction and challenge the constitutionality of the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act.”
Some of Vaughn’s co-defendants will be sentenced on July 3; others are also being prosecuted in another FACE Act case and have therefore obtained postponements.
