A federal judge has sentenced an Indiana man to prison after he vandalized a church with Satanic imagery, authorities announced. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.
Steven James Perkinson, a 21-year-old from Plainfield, Indiana, received a sentence of 10 months in federal prison along with three years of supervised release.
According to a statement released Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, Perkinson previously pleaded guilty to charges of intentional damage to religious property and making a false statement to a federal agency.
U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler said the punishment underscores the seriousness of crimes targeting religious institutions.
“The sentence makes clear that hate-fueled vandalism and threats of violence will be met with swift and serious federal consequences.”
“Targeting any house of worship because of its faith is an attack on the fundamental freedoms that define our nation. This defendant’s conduct, paired with his disturbing online activity, posed a real threat to those liberties,” Wheeler said.
Authorities said the incident occurred on Nov. 18, 2024, when Perkinson defaced a sign outside Maple Grove Baptist Church in Plainfield. He spray-painted a pitchfork symbol and the numbers “666” on the sign and marked an “X” over the cross displayed on it.
When first questioned by FBI agents, Perkinson denied involvement in the vandalism, prosecutors said.
He later admitted to the act, telling investigators that his actions were influenced by his participation in Satanic groups. A search of his cellphone revealed internet queries such as “Maple Grove Baptist Church Plainfield,” “Churches near me,” “Plainfield Bible Church photos,” and terms linked to occult organizations, including “Noctulian Blood Covenant” and “Nexion 435.”
Investigators also uncovered evidence described by prosecutors as “violent ideation.” Among the searches found on his phone was a query for the “address of largest Jewish church in America.”
Officials said they also discovered online messages in which Perkinson claimed access to firearms and encouraged acts of mass violence, as well as photographs of him posing with recently deceased animals and evidence that he had previously set a dumpster on fire.
A report released last year by the Family Research Council documented 415 incidents of hostility against churches and church property across 43 states in 2024, affecting 383 congregations.
