73-year-old Philip Buyno has been arrested and charged with “attempting to use fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

Buyno has been accused of intentionally vandalizing the site of a future reproductive health facility in Danville, Illinois. If charged with arson, Buyno will face a minimum sentence of five to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

The planned facility, which has been a controversial issue in the Danville community since its announcement in February, has been challenged by a city ordinance that could block the facility from shipping or receiving certain abortion medications.

According to a May 4 statement by Gov. JB Pritzker, the ordinance is in direct opposition of the Illinois Reproductive Health Act.

“When I signed the Reproductive Health Act in 2019, it codified protections for reproductive healthcare into state law,” Pritzker wrote. “That law explicitly prohibits local governments from passing ordinances or legislation restricting abortion rights. If this ordinance ever took effect, it would clearly violate the Reproductive Health Act.”

Danville is located about six miles from Illinois’ border with Indiana, a state whose supreme court is currently hearing arguments surrounding a proposed near-total abortion ban.

According to the Danville Police Department, the case is being overseen by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI.

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