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A South Florida woman has been convicted for her role in a conspiracy to threaten or intimidate employees of pro-life pregnancy help centers, prosecutors said.
Gabriella Oropesa, of Cooper City, was convicted Thursday of the civil rights conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
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Prosecutors said Oropesa and her co-conspiractors selected reproductive health facilities in Florida that provided and counseled alternatives to abortion and vandalized those facilities with threatening messages.
Between May 2022 and July 2022, the group spray painted the facilities with threatening messages, including “If abortions aren’t safe than niether [sic] are you,” “YOUR TIME IS UP!!,” “WE’RE COMING for U” and “We are everywhere.”
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The targeted attacks took place in the dark of night and the group wore masks and dark clothing to conceal their identities, prosecutors said.
Three other suspects - Caleb Freestone, Amber Stewart-Smith and Annarella Rivera - previously pleaded guilty for their participation in the conspiracy.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 19, 2025, where Oropesa faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy charge.
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“The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act is clear: no one should have to face threats and intimidation just for doing their job," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. "The Justice Department will continue to ensure access to the full spectrum of reproductive health services afforded to the public, whether those services include abortion or counseling on alternatives to abortion."
The FBI Tampa Field Office investigated the case, with help from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Winter Haven, Hialeah and Hollywood Police Departments.
