Don Lemon faces federal criminal charges after anti-ICE protest disrupted Minnesota church
Former CNN anchor and journalist Don Lemon is slated to appear in federal court Friday afternoon to face federal criminal charges in connection with his alleged involvement in a protest...
By Fox News · Fox News
Former CNN anchor and journalist Don Lemon is slated to appear in federal court Friday afternoon to face federal criminal charges in connection with his alleged involvement in a protest at a Minnesota church earlier this month. Lemon will be charged in Los Angeles Friday afternoon on allegations of conspiring to violate someone's constitutional rights and alleged FACE Act violations, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News Digital. The FACE Act, passed in 1994, is a federal law that prohibits the use of force, intimidation, or obstruction to deliberately "injure, intimidate, or interfere" with an individual's ability to exercise their right to religious freedom at a place of worship. FACE Act violations carry penalties ranging from fines to prison time, depending on the severity of the violation alleged and other contributing factors. It is unclear what type of punishment federal prosecutors would seek in the case against Lemon and others charges, and DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. MINNESOTA DRAGS TRUMP'S ICE TO COURT IN EFFORT TO PAUSE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN Lemon's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the case is an "unprecedented attack" on the First Amendment and an attempt by the Justice Department to chill free speech protections, including He told Fox News Digital in a statement that Lemon would fight the charges "vigorously and thoroughly" in federal court. Lemon's arrest comes more than a week after he was seen with a group of anti-ICE protesters who interrupted a church service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official serves as a pastor. The group of protesters was seen chanting "ICE out," according to video footage, and interrupting the service. Three other individuals, including independent journalist Georgia Fort, were also charged Friday in connection with their alleged involvement in the demonstration. Fort said she w…