A Massachusetts monk claims “insidious lies” about him being a faux cleric led the feds to deliver multimillion-dollar COVID-relief fraud costs towards him — which had been later dismissed — however his church and popularity 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 beneath false pretenses in 2022 for allegedly finishing up a $3.6 million fraud scheme — solely to toss out the fees a 12 months later, in line with a federal lawsuit filed final Friday.
He and his legal professional Tracey Stockton had been accused of blowing the funds on $40,000 in vintage furnishings, $90,000 in audio video system tools, $40,000 in Swiss watches, a $7,000 Goyard purse, costly wine and $2,400 in Hermes and luxurious gadgets.
Bushell advised The Submit in an unique interview that the accused events to the go well with 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 saved 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 beneath claims of violation of spiritual freedom, conspiracy, retaliation and different associated allegations — after the Trump administration acknowledged the extent of different anti-Christian discrimination and “weaponized” prosecutions beneath 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 go well with claims.
“The timing and method of the arrest had been designed to maximise psychological strain and public humiliation, to not serve any authentic regulation enforcement function,” 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 Might 19, 2023, and was discovered within the following day in a DOJ inspector normal’s report back to have improperly meddled within the Suffolk County district legal professional’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 go well with, claimed in an announcement on the time of Bushell’s arrest that Bushell was “a purported Orthodox Christian monk” who spent “tens of 1000’s of {dollars} on unique memberships, costly wine, property, renovations, and even a $40,000 wristwatch.”
Bushell mentioned the charging paperwork had been filled 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 had 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 want to marry and have a household, matured after I turned a member of an Athonite monastery 10 years earlier than COVID, and has continued for the final 8 years with out a 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 supplied no additional clarification for the dismissal.
“After coming to comprehend Plaintiff Father Andrew was honest in his spiritual beliefs, that Father Andrew was a real Orthodox monk, and neither Father Andrew nor the spiritual organizations beneath his oversight had been ‘frauds,’ the DOJ had no selection however to dismiss all costs,” Stockton wrote within the submitting.
Rollins will not be a celebration to the go well with, neither is Assistant US Lawyer 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 costs due to a long-running beef Marblehead had towards him over its perception he and his church had been “posturing as spiritual organizations” for the tax advantages, the court docket paperwork allege.
“Marblehead officers made false studies to the Federal Bureau of Investigations that Father Andrew was not an actual monk and not one of the organizational defendants had been authentic spiritual organizations,” the go well with says.
“These insidious lies achieved their objectives,” the go well with costs.
Previous to that, the city repeatedly put up roadblocks for him opening a monastic brewery and erecting a shrine, by attempting 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 “popularity has been irreparably harmed,” the go well with alleges.
The case was dropped at cease him from persevering with to follow his religion in Marblehead, “to destroy” his life and to cease him from “ministering to others in line with his religion,” the submitting claims.
Bushell and Stockton had been accused of finishing up the rip-off so they might dwell giant, together with shopping for ritzy watches and purses, the DOJ mentioned in its launch kind 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.
