Paul Vaughn

Paul Vaughn, a father of eleven, was one of six defendants convicted at trial in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee of conspiracy against rights (18 U.S.C. § 241) and violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act, 18 U.S.C. § 248), arising from a March 5, 2021 blockade of the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Vaughn was indicted in October 2022 and convicted in January 2024. His co-defendants at trial included Chester Gallagher, Calvin Zastrow, Heather Idoni, Coleman Boyd, and Dennis Green; a seventh originally charged defendant, Caroline Davis, cooperated with the government and was handled separately. The defendants blocked patients and staff from accessing the clinic during the blockade. Vaughn faced a maximum combined penalty of 11 years in federal prison. His arrest — conducted by armed FBI agents — attracted widespread attention.