A man from Rhode Island has acknowledged his involvement in igniting several fires around the outer area of a predominantly Black church earlier this year, as detailed in a federal plea agreement.
According to prosecutors, Kevin Colantonio started the fires at the Shiloh Gospel Temple located in North Providence in the early hours of February 11, after acquiring gasoline and a lighter. At the time, the church was not occupied, and the fires were swiftly extinguished by the North Providence Police and Fire departments, as reported by investigators. Despite this quick intervention, the fires resulted in property damage.
Colantonio’s attorney has refrained from making any statements regarding the case. Investigators have noted that if the first responders had not acted promptly upon receiving reports around 12:12 a.m. of someone trying to ignite the fires, the damage could have been severe for the church.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, Zachary Cunha, mentioned at the time of Colantonio’s arrest that a search of his residence uncovered notebooks containing alarming phrases such as “burn churches down to the ground,” “hunt them down,” and “gun everyone down who isn’t white.”
The plea agreement filed recently in federal court indicates that Colantonio specifically targeted the church based on the “actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, and/or ethnicity of the congregants.” Investigators have noted that the majority of the church’s Pentecostal community, which has existed for around 35 years, is composed of Black and African American members.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident. Colantonio is facing multiple charges, including obstruction of the free exercise of religious beliefs, malicious damage by means of fire, and two counts of assault on a federal officer.
If he receives consecutive sentences, Colantonio could face up to 56 years in prison, with a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years, alongside a potential fine of $1 million and three years of supervised release. A hearing to change his plea is set for January 7.
