A Pennsylvania man joined nine others who have been indicted on a charge of conspiracy and blocking a D.C. reproductive clinic.
A federal grand jury in D.C. indicted Herb Geraghty, 25, of Pittsburgh, for his role in an alleged blockade at a reproductive health care clinic in Oct. 2020.
Nine other people – Lauren Handy, Jonathan Darnel, Jay Smith, Paulette Harlow, Jean Marshall, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, William Goodman and Joan Bell – were indicted last March, accused of blocking entry to the clinic and preventing it from providing care to patients. Handy has faced similar charges in 2019 in an incident at the same clinic, but the case was dismissed.
Many of the defendants traveled from other states, and a Justice Department news release said that Geraghty communicated with Handy to plan the blockade. It was Handy who made lodging arrangements for some others. Last March, D.C. police found five fetuses in Handy’s home near Capitol Hill.
Handy, Smith, Harlow, Marshall, Hinshaw, Idoni, Goodman, Bell and Geraghty are accused of forcefully entering the clinic and blocking two clinic doors “using their bodies, furniture, chains and ropes,” the Justice Department said. Darnel livestreamed the activities.
They are accused of violating the FACE Act, which prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services.
If convicted, the defendants each face up to a maximum of 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $260,000.
