Ohio man gets 5 1/2 years for Planned Parenthood bombing threat, money laundering

July 24 (UPI) -- A resident of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison for threatening to blow up a Columbus Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022 and conspiring to launder money.

Mohamed Waes, 33, was sentenced to 66 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Waes also must pay $273,982.08 in restitution.

Waes on July 5, 2022, "threatened to burn down a reproductive health clinic in order to intimidate employees from providing care to patients," Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clark said in a statement Wednesday.

"Using threats of violence to obstruct access to reproductive healthcare is simply unlawful," Clark said. "The Justice Department will continue to protect patients seeking reproductive health services and providers offering those services."

Waes in February pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge under the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

The FACE Act makes it illegal to intentionally interfere with or intimidate anyone for providing reproductive health services.

Waes pleaded guilty to calling Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and threatening to burn down its buildings.

Waes also had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering when he tried to launder more than $1.92 million obtained through business email fraud schemes.

He successfully laundered $273,982.08, which he must repay.

The business email fraud scheme involved creating seemingly original emails from vendors seeking payments for actual invoices but to bank accounts controlled by Waes and his accomplices.