AG Bondi Announces Two More Arrests in Minnesota Church Invasion Case

The Trump administration announced two additional arrests on Monday tied to the January disruption of a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, by anti-ICE demonstrators, bringing the total number of defendants in the case to nine, as reported by The New York Post.

Attorney General Pam Bondi made the announcement on X, stating that Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson had been taken into custody in connection with what federal prosecutors describe as a coordinated attack on Cities Church during a Sunday service on Jan. 18.

“If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you,” Bondi wrote. “We have made two more arrests in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota: Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson.”

If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you.

We have made two more arrests in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota: Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson.

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) February 2, 2026

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The arrests follow last week’s indictment and arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was detained Friday in Los Angeles while in town to cover the Grammy Awards.

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Prosecutors allege Lemon, 59, “knowingly joined a mob to terrorize” congregants during the service. A judge later ordered Lemon released without bail or travel restrictions.

In addition to Lemon, Austin, and Richardson, a federal indictment unsealed Friday named Nekima Valdez Levy-Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, William Scott Kelly, Trahern Jeen Crews, Jamael Lydell Lundy, and Georgia Ellyse Fort, an award-winning journalist.

All nine defendants are charged with conspiracy against rights and interfering with the free exercise of religion by allegedly seeking “to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate multiple persons, including the clergy, staff, and congregants of the Cities Church,” according to the 14-page indictment.

Federal prosecutors say Allen, Levy-Armstrong, and Kelly are local Black Lives Matter leaders who gathered outside the church before entering the building with Lemon and other demonstrators. Once inside the sanctuary, the group chanted “ICE out” and accused church pastor David Easterwood of assisting federal immigration enforcement operations under President Donald Trump.

A man named David Easterwood serves as acting ICE director for the St. Paul field office. However, The Post reported it was unable to independently confirm whether he is the same individual who pastors the St. Paul church.

Prior to entering the church, Lemon filmed a segment acknowledging he had conducted “reconnaissance” with activists involved in the demonstration.

“They’re planning an operation we’re going to follow them on. I can’t tell you exactly what they’re doing, but it’s called Operation Pull-Up,” Lemon said. “So that’s what we’re doing here, and after we do this operation, you’ll see it live.”

Lemon later conducted an on-camera interview inside the church with fellow pastor Jonathan Parnell, who described the protest as “shameful.”

Lemon also repeated claims about Easterwood’s alleged ICE ties in a post on the left-leaning social media platform Bluesky.

According to law enforcement sources, Homeland Security Investigations and FBI agents arrested Lemon at an elevator in the Beverly Hilton hotel.

Federal judges had previously declined to authorize arrest warrants in Minnesota, but a grand jury indictment was ultimately secured.

On Jan. 23, Eighth Circuit Judge Steven Graz wrote that probable cause existed for the arrests but stated the government had not shown it lacked other means to obtain relief.

Following his release, Lemon accused the Trump administration of overreach, calling the case “something that’s not even true” and claiming his actions were “an act of journalism.”

“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable,” said attorney Abbe Lowell, who represents Lemon. “Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon has indicated additional charges remain possible, including potential violations of the Enforcement Act of 1871 and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, statutes historically used to prosecute conspiracies that interfere with civil rights and religious worship.

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