Washington, Feb 11: A man was indicted in connection to a fire at a predominately Black church in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Justice Department said in a press release. “Dushko Vulchev, 45, of Houlton, Maine, was indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of damage to religious property involving fire and one count of use of fire to commit a federal felony.
Vulchev was previously charged by criminal complaint in April 2021,” the release said on Thursday. The suspect was linked to fires at the Martin Luther King Jr Community Presbyterian Church (MLK Church) in December of 2020. Prosecutors said they found evidence in Vulchev’s vehicle, on electronic storage devices, images, a “White Lives Matter” mural and conversations with people who know him that all illustrate Vulchev’s racial animus toward and hatred of Black people. He faces up to 30 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
