A Massachusetts monk claims “insidious lies” about him being a faux cleric led the feds to convey multimillion-dollar COVID-relief fraud expenses towards him — which have been later dismissed — however his church and repute by no means recovered, new court docket papers present.
Rev. Father Andrew Bushell, an Orthodox Christian monk at St. Nicholas church, sued the Division of Justice, FBI brokers and the city of Marblehead, Mass., after arresting him below false pretenses in 2022 for allegedly finishing up a $3.6 million fraud scheme — solely to toss out the fees a yr later, in accordance with a federal lawsuit filed final Friday.
He and his lawyer Tracey Stockton have been accused of blowing the funds on $40,000 in vintage furnishings, $90,000 in audio video system gear, $40,000 in Swiss watches, a $7,000 Goyard purse, costly wine and $2,400 in Hermes and luxurious gadgets.
Bushell instructed The Publish in an unique interview that the accused events to the swimsuit must be “in jail” for what they put him by means of, which has triggered donors to lose religion in his ministry, burdened him with authorized charges and stored the development of the monastic shrine and place of worship from being accomplished.
“[Former Boston US Attorney Rachael] Rollins weaponized the DOJ, FBI and different federal brokers to fabricate a pack of lies to destroy St. Nicholas, me and intimidate God-fearing Orthodox Christians,” he mentioned.
Now, the monk is suing below claims of violation of non secular freedom, conspiracy, retaliation and different associated allegations — after the Trump administration acknowledged the extent of different anti-Christian discrimination and “weaponized” prosecutions below the Biden DOJ.
“Armed” federal brokers “in tactical gear” busted into St. Nicholas church in a “military-style,” “pre-dawn raid,” taking him “away in handcuffs” whereas he was praying on Oct. 13, 2022, the civil swimsuit claims.
“The timing and method of the arrest have been designed to maximise psychological stress and public humiliation, to not serve any reputable regulation enforcement goal,” added Stockton, who was charged together with the cleric, within the 20-page submitting.
He wasn’t supplied along with his prayer rope, rosary or Bible whereas he was locked up and he was compelled to eat meals that violated his “monastic dietary practices,” the submitting alleges.
Rollins — who resigned from workplace after being faulted for an “extraordinary” abuse of energy by federal ethics watchdogs in 2023 — claimed when bringing the case that Bushell’s conduct was “brazen, felony habits” that took benefit of taxpayer-funded reduction.
Rollins left workplace on Could 19, 2023, and was discovered within the following day in a DOJ inspector common’s report back to have improperly meddled within the Suffolk County district lawyer’s race. In September 2025, she agreed to a public reprimand for her actions by the Massachusetts Bar.
Former FBI Boston area workplace particular agent in cost Joseph Bonavolonta, who is called within the swimsuit, claimed in an announcement on the time of Bushell’s arrest that Bushell was “a purported Orthodox Christian monk” who spent “tens of hundreds of {dollars} on unique memberships, costly wine, property, renovations, and even a $40,000 wristwatch.”
Bushell mentioned the charging paperwork have been stuffed with “defamatory and deceptive fictions of misspent church funds that both mischaracterized $18 bottles of wine for church occasions, misconstrued clerical memberships donors gave to assist serve the Church’s mission, or have been merely not true.”
“My monastic vocation started after I entered the Pontifical Gregorian College on the Vatican at age 19, struggled like many Orthodox seminarians with a need to marry and have a household, matured after I grew to become a member of an Athonite monastery 10 years earlier than COVID, and has continued for the final 8 years with no day of relaxation or trip to beat one problem after one other to construct a shrine devoted to St. Nicholas,” he added.
The feds dismissed the case towards Bushell on Nov. 8, 2023 in a one-page court docket doc, saying the transfer was “within the pursuits of justice.” The doc provided no additional clarification for the dismissal.
“After coming to understand Plaintiff Father Andrew was honest in his non secular beliefs, that Father Andrew was a real Orthodox monk, and neither Father Andrew nor the non secular organizations below his oversight have been ‘frauds,’ the DOJ had no alternative however to dismiss all expenses,” Stockton wrote within the submitting.
Rollins isn’t a celebration to the swimsuit, neither is Assistant US Legal professional David Holcomb, who helped with the prosecution, although the latter was slammed by Stockton for getting “rolled” by the bureau’s shoddy investigative work.
Stockton additionally mentioned the egregious prosecution towards Bushell and herself ought to “terrify each American.”
Bushell and Stockton’s counter-suit claims investigators solely mounted the bogus felony expenses due to a long-running beef Marblehead had towards him over its perception he and his church have been “posturing as non secular organizations” for the tax advantages, the court docket paperwork allege.
“Marblehead officers made false reviews to the Federal Bureau of Investigations that Father Andrew was not an actual monk and not one of the organizational defendants have been reputable non secular organizations,” the swimsuit says.
“These insidious lies achieved their objectives,” the swimsuit expenses.
Previous to that, the city repeatedly put up roadblocks for him opening a monastic brewery and erecting a shrine, by making an attempt to bar him from getting constructing permits and rejecting electrical work for the ability, the court docket papers allege.
Regardless of the fees getting dismissed, “the stain related to the federal fraud allegations stays,” the paperwork declare.
The church misplaced help from main donors and Bushell’s “repute has been irreparably harmed,” the swimsuit alleges.
The case was delivered to cease him from persevering with to follow his religion in Marblehead, “to destroy” his life and to cease him from “ministering to others in accordance with his religion,” the submitting claims.
Bushell and Stockton have been accused of finishing up the rip-off so they might dwell massive, together with shopping for ritzy watches and purses, the DOJ mentioned in its launch type the time.
He’s suing for unspecified damages.
The DOJ, FBI and the city of Marblehead didn’t return requests for remark Monday. Rollins and Bonavolonta couldn’t be reached for remark.
