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Prosecutors said Kevin Colantonio set several fires around the
exterior of the Shiloh Gospel Temple early Feb. 11 in North
Providence after purchasing a lighter and gasoline.
The building was vacant at the time and the fires were quickly
extinguished by members of the North Providence Police and Fire
departments, investigators said. The fires caused property
damage.
A lawyer representing Colantonio declined to comment.
Without the quick action of first responders who arrived at the
church at about 12:12 a.m. following reports of an individual
trying to set fires, the damage to the house of worship would
have been catastrophic, investigators said at the time.
Zachary Cunha, U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island,
said at the time of Colantonio’s arrest that a search of his
home turned up notebooks and writings that included phrases like
“burn churches down to the ground,” “hunt them down,” and “gun
everyone down who isn’t white.”
The plea agreement, which was filed in federal court last week,
states that Colantonio intentionally targeted the church because
of the “actual or perceived race, color, religion, national
origin, and/or ethnicity of the congregants.”
Most of the Pentecostal congregation, which has been established
for about 35 years, is Black and African American, according to
investigators.
No injuries were reported.
Colantonio faces four counts: obstruction of the free exercise
of religious beliefs; malicious damage by means of fire; and two
counts of assault on a federal officer.
If served consecutively, Colantonio faces 56 years in prison,
with a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, a fine of $1
million and three years of supervised release.
A change of plea hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7.
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