Roughly 25 FBI agents raided the home of Mark Houck, a Catholic pro-life activist and faith leader in Pennsylvania.
Mark's wife, Ryan-Marie Houck, claims the agents had their guns drawn. The father of seven is facing up to 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $350,000 fine for allegedly assaulting an abortion clinic volunteer.
Houck reportedly pushed the volunteer to the ground twice outside of the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center in Philadelphia on Oct. 13, 2021, after the man apparently harassed one of Houck's sons.
Houck has made a name for himself locally as an author, radio host, activist and the president of The King's Men. According to its website, The King's Men is an international association of groups founded to empower men to fit into the “mold of leader, protector, and provider through education, formation, healing, and action.”
The Blaze further reports:
An abortion clinic volunteer named Bruce Love and Houck allegedly got into an altercation outside of the Planned Parenthood clinic. Houck's wife claimed that her husband was on the sidewalk of the abortion clinic and not the property of Planned Parenthood.
Love maintains that he was escorting patients back to their cars at the time of the altercation.
Ryan-Marie claims that Bruce taunted her son for weeks, making vulgar comments that she didn't feel comfortable fully disclosing to the press. She described them as “crude… inappropriate and disgusting.”
The Blaze continues:
Mark Houck “shoved him away from his child, and the guy fell back” and he hit the ground. Houck allegedly pushed the pro-abortion man to the ground outside of the Planned Parenthood clinic a second time. Love – a 72-year-old volunteer escort at the abortion clinic – reportedly suffered injuries that required medical attention.
Police declined to charge Houck at the time — saying there was insufficient evidence of an assault.
Love then tried to sue Houck, but the case was dismissed.
This past weekend, dozens of FBI agents in 15 government vehicles swarmed the Houck family's residence. Houck complied with the agents' demands but his wife says the incident left their children traumatized.
President Joe Biden's Justice Department decided to charge Houck with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
A press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has more on the incident from U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero:
“Assault is always a serious offense, and under the FACE Act, if the victim is targeted because of their association with a reproductive healthcare clinic, it is a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Our Office and the Department of Justice are committed to prosecuting crimes which threaten the safety and rights of all individuals.”
“Put simply, violence is never the answer,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. “Violating the FACE Act by committing a physical assault is a serious crime for which the FBI will work to hold offenders accountable.”
The case against Houck is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anita Eve and Justice Department Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel.
Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano released the following statement after Houck's arrest on Friday:
The continued weaponization of the FBI and persecution by Joe Biden's DOJ against ordinary Americans is an outrage.
This morning, a heavily armed SWAT team of dozens of FBI agents raided the home of Mark Houck of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and terrified children inside over a case that was long thrown out by the District Court in Philadelphia. Mark and Ryan-Marie Houck's seven children were traumatized and in tears, as they witnessed their parents held at gunpoint and their father hauled away in handcuffs.
Citizens across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania join me in expressing our outrage at this early-morning raid executed on a young family. This show of force carried out by the Biden regime against ordinary Americans is an abuse of power that stands against the fundamental principles on which our country was founded.
As Governor, I will not allow the police state of Joe Biden to enforce his persecution against his political enemies on sacred Pennsylvania soil. Not on my watch.
This story is developing. Stay with American Liberty News for the latest updates.
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Why exactly did they need an FBI SWAT team? This is getting ridiculous.
To signal the danger of standing up to the regime.
The US is no longer the land of the free nor the home of the brave.
If we don’t drive the buggers out in November we will soon be ‘the land of the creep and the home of the slave.’
Say it to those that do not bother to vote.
Thus according to Democratic leadership, mostly peaceful protests that result in fire and widespread property destruction are NOT federal crimes but protecting your own children from strangers (who happen to share Democrats’ policy choices) gets you an FBI swat raid of 15 agents with guns drawn.
This is the era of political persecution. Shameful
If you read the Act in its entirety, it sure sounds like the DOJ tilted the meaning to suit their Agenda. This was drawn WAY out of proportion and at the expense of an entire family and their children.
Just think, pretty soon Biden will have another 80 some thousand armed agents, named as IRS agents, to send after all of those that oppose what the left wing liberals are trying to do to our country. Sounds a lot like what we saw in 1930’s Europe. This is but one more way the left is showing us that they want to destroy our constitutional republic and install their version of a socialist government, with them being in power, of course.
The FBI is really tough when it comes to ordinary people, so why don’t they go after the cartels that are killing our kids. I think they are just a bunch of Nancys, they get to dress up and carry their ARs when there is no threat. They are no better then gangs with Chressy leading them.
Great description of the FBI. They’re really busy attacking innocent Americans.
“PUT SIMPLY, VIOLENCE IS NEVER THE ANSWER,” SAID JACQUELINE MAGUIRE, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE FBI’S PHILADELPHIA DIVISION. “VIOLATING THE FACE ACT BY COMMITTING A PHYSICAL ASSAULT IS A SERIOUS CRIME”
Her words ring hollow. Does she realize that this happened at a business that commits violence to the point of murder on innocent babies all day, every day?
Also, why the SWAT team with guns drawn if she believes “violence is never the answer”?
You Democrats are something else. You get the FBI Swat team to come to somebody’s house to arrest them for assault, that is about as dumb as dumb can get. Get over yourselves. This has become a circus.
I don’t understand why the FBI Swat Team had to come out and arrest somebody for assault. Can somebody please explain this to me?
To keep the rest of us under control through fear. Terror and fear are powerful tools as they try to control the citizens.
Can we end these damn raids, let more Dems “sample” more
Why doesn’t the FBI raid these criminals’ raiding, looting, burning, attacking citizens in stores and on streets? The fbi could patrol shopping centers and get crime under control.
These people are working for the Left side already. They are their friends.
Americans are going to have to organize community watch groups to go to the aid of their neighbors.
When do we start?