DOJ Recommends No Jail Time for Catholic Church Vandal

The Department of Justice recommended zero jail time for an individual who vandalized the St. Louise Catholic Church in Bellevue, Wash.

Maeve Nota, 31, who is transgender, admitted to vandalizing the church last summer, smashing two glass doors and spray-painting a number of profane messages, including “F*** Catholics,” “rot in your fake hell,” “kid groomers,” and “woman haters.” Nota also admitted to destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary, assaulting a church worker, and resisting arrest.

According to filings from early March, reviewed by Fox News, the DOJ charged Nota with misdemeanor destruction of religious property, which carries up to one year in prison and $100,000 in fines. However, a week later, the Justice Department recommended no jail time and three years of probation for Nota’s sentencing on June 2, Fox News reported.

Attacks on Catholic churches have increased markedly in the last few years. The lay organization CatholicVote.org has tracked attacks on Catholic churches, noting that increases have corresponded to heated national political events.

National Review was told by Tommy Valentine of the Catholic Accountability Project that the summer of unrest following the death of George Floyd in 2020 as well as the Dobbs decision which overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022 corresponded to sharp increases.

The attacks have forced Catholic churches to increase security and awareness in a way that has not been required for a very long time, Valentine explained.

Many have criticized the Justice Department for its prosecution priorities. Pro-life activists have been prosecuted during attorney general Merrick Garland’s tenure for allegedly blocking access to abortion clinics while those who have defaced pro-life pregnancy centers have largely escaped justice.

Early in March, when Garland appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he explained that part of the reason for the disparity is that the former occur in broad daylight while the latter occur at night and the perpetrators are often never found.

Nota was caught in the act however and when a church staff member attempted to chase the vandal away, the staffer was spray-painted across the face, Fox News reported. When officers located Nota, police said Nota used a backpack full of spray paint cans to smash the police vehicle. When they later apprehended the perpetrator, they learned Nota was upset about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Garland has also failed to prosecute protestors who have increased activity outside the Supreme Court and the private residences of the justices, despite a statute criminalizing such attempts to influence judges. During the March hearing, several senators zeroed in on this as well as the prosecution of Mark Houck, a pro-life activist.

The case involved Houck shoving a 72-year-old patient escort for Planned Parenthood twice. Houck claims the man invaded his 12-year-old son’s personal space and yelled at him.

The Philadelphia district attorney declined to prosecute the case, but the DOJ did, charging Houck with two Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act violations. Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) expressed outrage during the hearing about the fact Houck had offered to turn himself in, but was instead arrested in front of his children by tens of FBI agents carrying long guns.

“You use an unbelievable show of force with guns — that I just note liberals usually decry. We’re supposed to hate long guns and assault-style weapons. You’re happy to deploy them against Catholics and innocent children,” Hawley said.

“And then you haul him into court and the jury acquits him in one hour,” Hawley continued, calling the Justice Department’s behavior “disgraceful.”