A Florida man was sentenced Monday to three and a half years in federal prison for his role in a plot to firebomb a Planned Parenthood clinic in Orange County.
Prosecutors say Xavier Batten, 21, coached Chance Brannon and Tibet Ergul on how to construct the Molotov cocktail they used in the attack on the Costa Mesa clinic in 2022.
“He was thousands of miles away, but he certainly played a critical role in constructing the Molotov cocktail that damaged the facility,” said U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy.
Batten’s three-and-a-half-year sentence is longer than what prosecutors had asked for. The judge noted that the firebombing attack was “cowardly” and Batten showed “no empathy.”
“Prosecutors argued in their sentencing memorandum that Batten's history includes threatening to commit mass shootings and his communications and internet searches reflect violent and racially motivated ideology,” McEvoy said.
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Brannon, a former U.S. Marine, was sentenced last month to nine years for his role in the attack, as well as for plotting other attacks, including at Dodger Stadium during Pride Night, at the homes of Jewish residents in L.A., and on the Orange County power grid “in furtherance of a race war,” McEvoy said.
Ergul is slated to be sentenced later this month.
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