On December 19, 2024, Gabriella Oropesa, of Cooper City, Florida, was convicted for her role in a conspiracy aimed at intimidating and threatening employees of pro-life pregnancy help centers. Oropesa, along with her co-conspirators Caleb Freestone, Amber Stewart-Smith, and Annarella Rivera, targeted reproductive health facilities that offered counseling and services as alternatives to abortion, vandalizing the centers with menacing messages.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Oropesa and her co-conspirators carried out their acts of vandalism between May and July 2022. Under the cover of darkness, wearing masks and dark clothing, they spray-painted threatening messages on the exterior of several facilities. The messages included statements such as “If abortions aren’t safe than niether [sic] are you,” “YOUR TIME IS UP!!,” “WE’RE COMING for U,” and “We are everywhere.”
This conviction comes under the provisions of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which seeks to protect individuals and organizations involved in providing reproductive health services, including counseling on alternatives to abortion.
“The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act is clear: no one should have to face threats and intimidation just for doing their job,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to ensure access to the full spectrum of reproductive health services afforded to the public, whether those services include abortion or counseling on alternatives to abortion.”
U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida also emphasized the importance of upholding the law, stating, “Threats of violence against pregnancy resource centers or those exercising their rights to care will not be tolerated.”
A sentencing hearing for Oropesa is set for March 19, 2025. She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for her involvement in the conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine her sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI Tampa Field Office, with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Winter Haven, Hialeah, and Hollywood.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information regarding threats, violence, or damage to reproductive health care facilities is urged to report it to the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov.
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