An illegal alien from China who was sentenced last year for setting fire to a historic Alabama church in 2021 is now accused of escaping the federal prison where she was serving her sentence.
On September 30, 2021, 31-year-old Xiaoquin Yan of China set four fires in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church Montgomery in Montgomery, Alabama. Yan caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage to the church, which was founded in 1829; its existing sanctuary has been around since 1916.
Yan had been scoping the church out for months prior to the fire and had referred to the church’s pastors as “rich white men.”
After her conviction, Yan was sentenced to serve 102 months at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, in March of last year. Yan first arrived in the United States on an F-1 student visa but overstayed her visa and had been living as an illegal alien.
This month, a federal grand jury in New Haven, Connecticut, indicted Yan for allegedly escaping the federal prison. According to the indictment, Yan fled the prison on Dec. 10, 2024, but was arrested by agents later that day.
If convicted, Yan faces up to five years in federal prison.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
