A supposedly Orthodox Christian monk from Massachusetts is speaking out after federal fraud charges brought against him by a disgraced Biden prosecutor were dropped – a charge that led to him being arrested in the middle of a prayer service.
Brian Bushell and his business partner Tracey Stockton were indicted in October 2022 by former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney and Biden appointee Rachael Rollins over an alleged $3.6 million COVID-Aid fraud scheme.
Rollins was fired in May 2023 after an investigation found she violated the Hatch Act, and Monk said she pursued the charges against him to distract from her own legal troubles.
After she was removed, the new federal prosecutor dropped charges against the monk, which he said had been brought for her “own political advantage.”
Bushnell said the FBI raided his house of worship while he was in the middle of his early morning prayers.
“There was no warning. I saw flashlights outside the chapel windows. “Dogs started barking,” he said.
Brian Bushell, an alleged Orthodox Christian monk, is speaking out after federal fraud charges brought against him by a disgraced Biden prosecutor were dropped
Bushnell said the FBI raided his house of worship while he was in the middle of his early morning prayers
Bushell is the leader of several organizations, including St. Paul's Foundation, a “monastic house,” a clergy residence, and a monastic brewery called Marblehead Brewing Co. Pictured is a property that Bushnell owns
Bushell is the head of several organizations, including the St. Paul's Foundation, a “monastic house,” a clergy residence and a monastery brewery called Marblehead Brewing Co., NBC Boston reported.
The monk said he had no idea why he was arrested and had asked to see the arrest warrant.
Bushnell said: “The whole feeling that the apparatus of government that is supposed to protect the vulnerable and those who struggle to do good for others is actually weighing on me… it's frightening. 'It's traumatic.'
“Where was President Biden when his US Attorney Rachael Rollin defamed the Orthodox Church and me personally?”
The charges against Bushnell and Stockton were dropped in November, but the monk said it damaged his reputation.
“There are still people who have made their decision based on these lies. And it will be difficult to change their minds,” he said. “Once you get arrested publicly, it becomes almost insurmountable.”
Bushnell criticized the allegations and described himself as a political pawn.
“It was too good to pass up because she herself was under investigation for ethics violations.”
The monk was accused of “significantly” overstating his organization’s operating expenses in order to receive larger funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Rollins' office said Bushnell used the funds to purchase more than $40,000 worth of Swiss watches, a Goyard designer handbag for Stockton worth nearly $7,000, Hermès items and other luxury goods worth $2,400. bought dollars.
The charges against Bushnell and Stockton were dropped in November, but the monk said it damaged his reputation
Former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins was fired in May 2023 after an investigation found she violated the Hatch Act
In the motion to dismiss the charges, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said, “The government respectfully submits this dismissal as being in the interests of justice,” without further explanation.
The U.S. special counsel's office said Rollins committed “one of the most egregious violations of the Hatch Act” her office has ever investigated.
The Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939, prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain forms of political activity.
The investigation found that Rollins leaked Justice Department information to influence the election of Suffolk County district attorney and that she attended a political fundraiser while on the job.
According to the investigation, Rollins spoke to reporters from The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald about an investigation by then-interim Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
The former US attorney is said to have used her private cell phone to send messages to her employees, including on official Justice Department matters.
She was also accused of soliciting and accepting 30 free tickets to Boston Celtics games and accepting payments from a sports and entertainment agency.
Rollins announced her resignation shortly after the investigation into her Hatch Act violations was made public.