A federal grand jury has indicted dozens more people accused of taking part in the disruption of a Saint Paul church service earlier this year.
The superseding indictment, unsealed Friday, alleges that 39 defendants participated in a coordinated operation targeting Cities Church during a Sunday morning service on Jan. 18, 2026. Prosecutors say the group conspired to intimidate clergy and congregants and physically obstruct their ability to worship, forcing the service to shut down and causing congregants, including children, to flee the building in fear.
The newly unsealed filing adds 30 additional defendants beyond those previously announced, significantly widening the scope of the federal case. Authorities allege participants organized the action in advance under the name “Operation PullUp,” promoted it online and gathered for a pre-event briefing at a Saint Paul shopping center before traveling together to the church.
Federal officials said agents had already taken 25 people into custody as of Friday, with additional arrests expected.
According to the indictment, organizers including Nekima Valdez Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen helped plan and coordinate the disruption, which prosecutors describe as a “takeover-style attack.”
Federal investigators allege participants entered the sanctuary in waves, positioning themselves among worshippers before interrupting the pastor mid-service with shouting, whistles and chants tied to immigration enforcement protests. Levy Armstrong and Allen were the first two defendants to be indicted and were arrested in late January by federal officials.
PREVIOUSLY: Arrests Made After Anti-ICE Protest Disrupts Saint Paul Church
Levy Armstrong is an attorney and longtime civil rights activist in the Twin Cities, having previously served as the head of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP. Allen has served as a member of the Saint Paul School Board since 2020.
Also among those charged are former CNN anchor turned independent journalist Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort. Prosecutors allege Lemon livestreamed portions of the disruption from inside the church. Lemon and Fort have maintained they were present solely in a reporting capacity and have pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges.
PREVIOUSLY: Don Lemon, Georgia Fort Arrested for Church Protest Coverage
Prosecutors claim the disruption quickly escalated into chaos, with congregants leaving the building and church staff activating emergency procedures. The indictment states some participants blocked aisles and exits, confronted worshippers and continued chanting after being asked to leave. In one allegation, defendants are accused of obstructing access to a childcare area, making it difficult for parents to retrieve their children.
Federal authorities further allege several defendants live-streamed portions of the incident and acknowledged during broadcasts that the goal was to disrupt the service. Participants also chanted slogans including “ICE out” and “Renee Good.” Protesters allegedly targeted the church after learning that one of its pastors, David Easterwood, leads the Saint Paul field office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees immigration enforcement in Minnesota and four neighboring states. The agency has been involved in numerous recent enforcement operations that have triggered protests and legal challenges across the state.
The charges were filed amid heightened tensions in Minnesota following the federal government’s large-scale immigration enforcement campaign known as Operation Metro Surge.
The operation, launched in December, brought thousands of ICE, Border Patrol and Homeland Security agents into the state and triggered weeks of protests, legal challenges, allegations of unlawful arrests and several high-profile confrontations tied to enforcement activity.
Federal officials announced earlier this month that the surge is now being scaled back, with thousands of agents withdrawn as part of an ongoing drawdown. At its peak, more than 4,000 federal agents were deployed across Minnesota, but recent court filings indicate fewer than 1,000 remain, with roughly 400 expected to stay as enforcement transitions back toward routine operations.
Today, @thejusticedept unsealed an indictment charging 30 more people who took part in the attack on Cities Church in Minnesota.
At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day.
YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you…— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) February 27, 2026
Federal officials have framed the prosecution as a civil rights case centered on protecting the right to worship without intimidation or disruption, while several defendants and supporters argue the charges criminalize political protest and journalism. Church leadership has described the incident as intimidating and unlawful, saying families and children were frightened when the service was halted. Critics of immigration enforcement argue the protest was political speech tied to broader concerns about federal actions.
All defendants are charged with conspiracy against rights and with using force, threats or physical obstruction to interfere with the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship. Prosecutors allege the conduct resulted in bodily injury to at least one congregant.
In announcing the expanded charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a warning about attacks targeting religious institutions:
The new indictments dramatically expand a case that federal authorities say crossed the line from protest into criminal interference with religious worship.
Two off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were dining at a nearby restaurant are credited with performed life-saving CPR.
In a statement released this morning, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said the FBI formally notified the BCA on Feb. 13 that it will not provide access to information or evidence.
A federal grand jury returned indictments in four separate cases, including three tied to threats made after authorities say FBI-owned vehicles were vandalized and sensitive employee information was stolen and later posted online.
The announcement came Thursday morning during a news conference in which the federal administration’s “border Czar” Tom Homan said a “significant draw-down” is already underway and will continue into next week.
Prosecutors charged 30-year-old Edward Jacob Lang, of Lake Worth, Fla,, with first-degree damage to property. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The incident happened Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, around 10:05 a.m. on the 4100 block of Lakeview Avenue North, just southeast of Robbinsdale City Hall.
Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles where he had been covering the Grammy Awards, while Fort was arrested at her home in the Twin Cities.
