Conneaut Man Sentenced for Setting Fire to African-American Church

Ronald J. Pudder was sentenced to more than four years in prison for setting fire to the First Azusa Apostolic Faith Church of God, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office, announced today.

Pudder, 23, of Conneaut, Ohio, pleaded guilty last year to one count of intentionally damaging, destroying, and attempting to destroy religious property, because of the race, color, and ethnic characteristics of individuals associated with that property.

“The defendant in this case meant to send a hateful message that hearkens back to the darkest days of our nation,” Dettelbach said at a news conference, joined by more than a dozen leaders from a variety of faiths. “But today, standing here, united against hate, we—black, white, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian, man and woman, old and young—are sending a stronger message.

“As long as we, as Americans, stand together, our brightest days are yet to come,” Dettelbach said.

“Investigating violations of civil rights, especially those that involve hate, remain a top priority of the FBI,” Anthony said. “This case demonstrates that we will not tolerate crimes that are based on race, religion, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation.”

Pudder was sentenced to 51 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John Adams. He was also placed on supervised release for three years and ordered to pay $19,243.18 in restitution to the church.

Pudder admitted that on May 20, 2010, he set on fire the First Azusa Apostolic Faith Church of God, located at 312 Jefferson Street in Conneaut, Ohio. This church is the sole predominantly African-American church in the Conneaut area.

Neighbors called police around 4:45 a.m. after seeing the church in flames. The front door was scorched, but fortunately, the flames did not penetrate the interior the church. Investigators later determined an door had been doused with an accelerant, as had other doors on the church, but those did not catch fire.

This case was prosecuted by Patricia A. Sumner, trial attorney with the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney James V. Moroney, following an investigation by the Painesville Resident Agency of the Cleveland FBI and the Conneaut Police Department.