Three men were found guilty of criminal trespassing Thursday for illegally going on the grounds of a private all-women's medical office in Westchester County and spending two hours trying to convince patients not to have abortions and having to physically be carried out of the building, authorities said.
Matthew Connelly, 40, and William Goodman and Christopher Moscinski, both 52, were convicted of the misdemeanor charge Thursday after a three-day trial. All three are affiliated with Red Rose Rescue, a religious group against abortions.
It was two days after Thanksgiving last year, on Nov. 25, that the trio went inside All Women's Medical in White Plains and stayed in the office for roughly two hours despite repeated warnings from the medical staff and the White Plains Police Department to leave, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Roach said.
Two of the men stayed in the waiting room, while one was on the floor blocking the entrance to the office. All were arrested by White Plains Police and had to be physically carried out of the office, Roach said.
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“The District Attorney’s Office will vigorously prosecute any criminal acts that interfere with an individual’s constitutional right to freely access healthcare,” Roach said in a statement. “There are no insignificant cases when it comes to the protection of reproductive rights.”
