A so-called Orthodox Christian monk from Massachusetts is speaking out after federal fraud charges against him brought by a disgraced Biden prosecutor were dropped, charges that led to his arrest during a prayer service.
Brian Bushell and his business partner Tracey Stockton were charged in October 2022 in an alleged $3.6 million COVID relief fraud scheme by former Massachusetts federal prosecutor and Biden appointee Rachael Rollins.
Rollins was removed from office in May 2023 after an investigation found she had violated the Hatch Act, and Monk said he filed the charges against her to distract from her own legal problems.
After his dismissal, the new federal prosecutor dropped charges against the monk, which he described as brought for his “own political benefit.”
Bushnell said the FBI raided his place of worship while he was in the middle of his morning prayer.
‘There was no warning. I saw lanterns outside the chapel windows. The dogs started barking,” she said.
Brian Bushell, a so-called Orthodox Christian monk, speaks out after federal fraud charges against him brought by a disgraced Biden prosecutor were dropped.
Bushnell said the FBI raided his house of worship while he was in the middle of his morning prayer.
Bushell is the leader of several organizations, including the St. Paul Foundation, a “monastic house,” a residence for clergy, and a monastic brewery called Marblehead Brewing Co. Pictured is a property Bushnell owns.
Bushell is the leader of several organizations, including the St. Paul Foundation, a ‘monastic house,’ a residence for clergy and a monastic brewery called Marblehead Brewing Co., he reported. NBC Boston.
The monk said he had no idea why he was being arrested and had asked to see the order.
Bushnell said: ‘The whole feeling that the apparatus of government, which is supposed to protect the weak and those who struggle to do good things for others, was actually pressuring me… is terrifying. It’s traumatic.’
‘Where was President Biden when his American lawyer Rachael Rollin was defaming the Orthodox Church and me personally?’
The charges against Bushnell and Stockton were dropped in November, but the monk said they had damaged his reputation.
‘There are still people who have made decisions based on these lies. And it’s going to be difficult to change their minds,” he stated. “Once you’re publicly arrested… it becomes almost insurmountable.”
Bushnell criticized the allegations and described himself as a political pawn.
“This was too good for her to pass up because she herself was being investigated for ethics violations.”
The monk was accused of “vastly” exaggerating his organization’s operating expenses to obtain increased funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Rollins’ office said Bushnell had used the funds to purchase more than $40,000 in Swiss watches, a nearly $7,000 Goyard designer handbag for Stockton, $2,400 in Hermès items and other luxury items.
The charges against Bushnell and Stockton were dropped in November, but the monk said they had damaged his reputation.
Former Massachusetts federal prosecutor Rachael Rollins was removed from office in May 2023 after an investigation found she had violated the Hatch Act.
In his filing to dismiss the charges, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said, “The government respectfully submits that dismissal if it is in the interest of justice,” without further explanation.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Rollins committed “one of the most egregious violations of the Hatch Act” its office has ever investigated.
The Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939, prohibits federal employees from engaging in some forms of political activity.
The investigation said Rollins leaked information from the Justice Department to influence the election of the Suffolk County district attorney and that he attended a political fundraiser while working in his official capacity.
According to the investigation, Rollins spoke with reporters from The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald about an investigation by then-acting Suffolk County Attorney Kevin Hayden.
The former U.S. attorney is said to have used her personal cell phone to send messages to her staff, including about official matters related to the Department of Justice.
She was also accused of soliciting and accepting 30 free tickets to Boston Celtics games and receiving payments from a sports and entertainment agency.
Rollins announced he would resign shortly after the investigation into his Hatch Act violations was published.
