Feb. 3—Six individuals were convicted on Tuesday of federal civil rights offenses related to their 2021 blockade of Carafem Health Center in Mt. Juliet.

Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, Paul Vaughn and Dennis Green were all convicted of felony conspiracy against rights and a Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) offense.

“These defendants knowingly chose to violate laws they disagreed with,” United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis said in a press release. “The jury’s verdict today is a victory for the rule of law in this country and a reminder that we cannot pick and choose which laws we follow. It is also a testament to the outstanding work done in this case by the trial team and our law enforcement partners.”

A spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the defendants’ own videos of the events, which they livestreamed on Facebook during the blockade, were used as evidence during the trial.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the evidence presented showed that Gallagher, Idoni, Zastrow, Boyd, Vaughn and Green conspired to prevent the clinic from providing and patients from receiving reproductive health services, which is a civil right secured by the FACE Act. Idoni, Zastrow, Boyd and Green travelled from other states to participate in the blockade.

“These defendants are being held accountable for unlawfully obstructing access to reproductive health services,” said assistant attorney ceneral Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s civil rights division. “The Justice Department will continue to enforce the FACE Act to protect the rights of those who provide and those who seek access to such services.”

The case was investigated by the FBI Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency.

There will be a sentencing hearing on July 2, where each of the defendants will face a maximum of 10 1/2 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $260,000.

“The judge will determine the appropriate sentence for the defendants after hearing arguments from the government and the defendants’ attorneys,” a spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.