Pro-Life Father Targeted By Biden’s FBI Wins $1M Settlement
During the Biden administration, pro-lifers were routinely targeted by the Department of Justice.
In 2022, under the leadership of then Attorney General Merrick Garland, father of seven and pro-life warrior Mark Houck was arrested in Pennsylvania as dozens of fully-armed FBI agents raided his home and terrified his family.
The arrest stemmed from an incident outside an abortion clinic in 2021.
A 72-year-old abortion escort allegedly insisted on harassing Houck’s 12 -year old son, who was accompanying him during sidewalk counseling in front of the clinic. After weeks of agitation, Houck ultimately shoved the abortion escort. No injuries were reported.
Although local prosecutors declined to pursue the case and a judge dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by the escort, Federal authorities charged Houck with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
Houck was found not guilty.
The jury trial began on January 24, 2023, before United States District Judge Gerald J. Pappert in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Just one week later, the jury returned a verdict of “not guilty,” acquitting Mark Houck. Defense attorneys Peter Breen and Brian McMonagle, representing the Thomas More Society, successfully argued that the abortion escort was the aggressor in the encounter.
Their victory not only freed Mark and his family from the burden imposed by the Biden administration but also protected the rights of every sidewalk counselor who ministers to women entering abortion clinics.
Following the trial, Houck filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice in 2023 seeking restitution for what he called “a faulty investigation” and “excessive force.”
After a three-year battle, Houck has now reached a settlement with the DOJ for more than $1 million.
Steve Crampton, one of Houck’s attorneys at the Thomas More Society, told Fox News Digital that the outcome was long overdue and they were pleased with the Trump administration’s efforts to bring forth justice in the case.
“We are very pleased with a Department of Justice that seems to be genuinely interested in doing justice,” Crampton said. “That’s rare enough these days, and we look forward to Mark not being the only wrongfully accused defendant to receive some kind of remuneration and recognition for the wrongs that were done to him.”
Crampton said the Trump administration should be commended for “attempting to at least acknowledge, if not completely right, the wrongs that were done” to pro-life activists under the Biden administration.
A recent report from the DOJ outlines how the Biden administration weaponized the federal government against pro-life groups.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement, “This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice.”
“No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”
On Monday, The Gateway Pundit reported that at least four prosecutors who weaponized the FACE Act under Garland were fired.
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