Journalist Don Lemon was federally charged on Friday with conspiracy to violate civil rights and unlawfully interfering with First Amendment protections, DHS officials said. Federal agents arrested Lemon on Friday in Los Angeles for being involved with a group of anti-ICE demonstrators who disrupted a church service in Minnesota on Jan. 18.
He is being charged with 18 USC 241, Conspiracy to Deprive Rights, which makes it illegal for "two or more persons to agree to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in the United States in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States," the DOJ said.
Charged with Conspiracy
He's also facing charges under the federal FACE Act — a 1994 law best known for protecting access to health clinics, but one that also applies to disrupting religious services and conspiracy-related offenses.
The charges were first reported by NewsNation.
Lemon is expected to make his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. If he's convicted on all counts, Justice Department sentencing guidelines suggest he could be looking at more than ten years behind bars.
This came as the White House mocked Lemon after his arrest. The official Trump administration account took a jab at the former CNN anchor, 59, writing, "When life gives you lemons..." in a post and captioning a black and white image of Lemon inside the church.
A source told the Daily Mail that Lemon was seen in handcuffs, surrounded by FBI and Homeland Security agents, and appeared visibly unhappy as he was taken into custody.
Someone familiar with the case said prosecutors were aware that Lemon might actually welcome the attention surrounding his arrest, calling it a "definite downside" of pursuing charges.
"He'll write a book and act like he's a martyr,' the source said. 'But I also think if you don't do anything you send a message that people can disrupt church services, and I think they have to cut that s*** off and enforce the law."
Just hours before his arrest, Lemon had attended the Recording Academy Honors in Los Angeles on Thursday night, where he was photographed alongside rapper Busta Rhymes.
No End to the Drama
The incident that triggered his arrest happened earlier this month, when Lemon filmed a group of protesters demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Minnesota church. The church was targeted because one of its pastors, David Eastwood, also serves as the head of the local ICE field office.
During the protest, demonstrators shouted at and harassed congregants in the middle of the service, sparking outrage across the country.
After Lemon's arrest, his attorney, Abbe Lowell, released a statement defending the church disruption as "constitutionally protected" activity.
"Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done," the statement read.
"The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work."
