By Anne Reed | Updated July 4, 2024

Tennessee Sentences Confirm Washington D.C. Corruption

Nashville, TN – On Tuesday, Paul Vaughn, father of 11 children, was sentenced for his involvement in a peaceful protest at Carafem, an abortion clinic in a suburb of Nashville, in March 2021. Vaughn was given no prison time. Instead, he was sentenced to six months of house arrest and three years of supervised probation, along with simple court costs of $125. 

The Biden Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has been viciously attacking compassionate men and women across the country who have peacefully protested the murder of innocent children. 

“The case involving Vaughn is one of the strongest examples of this federal abuse of power,” said  Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. On the morning of October 5, 2022, more than a year after the Nashville protest, the FBI raided Vaughn’s Tennessee home while he was preparing to drive his children to school. Officers banged on his door with guns drawn, yelling and screaming, “Open up! FBI!” then pointing the guns directly at Vaughn when he opened the door – all while his children were walking across the yard toward the car. 

Three more pro-life heroes involved in the same peaceful gathering were sentenced on Wednesday:

  • Coleman Boyd received six months house arrest and three years probation.
  • Dennis Green also received six months house arrest and three years probation.
  • Cal Zastrow received six months in federal prison, three years of probation (including six months of house arrest). He has several months to turn himself in because of other pending court dates. 

Zastrow shouted “Worthy is the Lamb” as he received his sentence.  

All the defendants initially faced the possibility of 10 ½ years in federal prison and fines of up to $260,000 for charges of violating the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act and engaging in a “Conspiracy Against Rights.”

“Again, those who commit to saving babies from death are willing to pay a heavy price,” said Newman. “And every child is worth it. For these rescuers, their families, and pro-lifers across the country who have been praying for justice, today’s sentences are a huge relief. These men and their families have already endured so much as a result of their heroic defense of innocent, human children.”

The charges were identical to those filed by Biden’s DOJ against other pro-lifers who received egregious prison sentences, ranging from just under two years to nearly five years, for peacefully protesting at the notorious late-term Washington Surgi-Clinic, in Washington D.C. 

Newman added, “This stark contrast in sentencing reveals what we already knew, an incredible degree of corruption and abuse of the judicial system is present in our nation’s capital.” 

These new sentences that exclude prison time, for all except Zastro, were handed down in Nashville by federal judge, Aleta Trauger, while the unjust sentences of up to nearly five years in federal prison were imposed by Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. 

Also awaiting sentencing for the same Nashville protest are Chet Gallagher, Eva Edyl, Heather Idoni, Paul Place, Eva Zastrow, and James Zastrow. “Please continue to pray for justice for these compassionate men and women who decisively speak up for vulnerable, innocent children being led to the slaughter,” Newman implored. “And remember to write to the rescuers currently incarcerated. Their contact information is available on our webpage, Prisoners of Christ.”

Featured photo: Prayer meeting held outside the courtroom just prior to sentencing (includes Denny Green, Cal Zastro, Jason Storms, Darren Stidz, Coleman Boyd, Paul Vaught, Chet Gallagher, Rusty Thomas)

This report may be republished with inclusion of the following acknowledgement: “This article was originally published by Operation Rescue, a leading pro-life, Christian activist organization dedicated to exposing abortion abuses, demanding enforcement, saving innocent lives, and building an abortion-free America. The author, Anne Reed, is Senior Policy Advisor for Operation Rescue.”