An Illinois man was sentenced Tuesday for the arson of the Planned Parenthood Peoria Health Center in Peoria, Illinois, officials stated.
Tyler W. Massengill, 33, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was ordered to pay $1.45 million in restitution.
He previously pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 to malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage, and attempt to damage, the Peoria Health Center.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Massengill maliciously set fire to the Peoria Health Center on Jan. 15 because he believed his ex-partner had received an abortion there, and he was angry about it.
Massengill believed that if his actions caused a little delay in a person receiving services at the Peoria Health Center, his conduct might have been worth it.
The fire resulted in significant damage to the Peoria Health Center.
“The defendant’s destructive actions in setting fire to the Peoria Health Clinic were reprehensible and limited the ability of women in our community to access important reproductive health services,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris for the Central District of Illinois.
“Any violent act like this is unacceptable. Worse here, is that this defendant used violence to target health care providers and their patients,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) . “I want to commend the ATF investigators, the prosecutors and our partners for taking action to protect the victims of this violent and potentially lethal arson.”
The FBI Springfield Field Office, Peoria Police Department and the ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna for the Central District of Illinois prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Anyone who has information about incidents of violence, threats, and obstruction that target a patient or provider of reproductive health services should report that information to the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov.
For more information about clinic violence and the Justice Department’s related enforcement efforts, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/national-task-force-violence-against-reproductive-health-care-providers.