WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said on Thursday three people have been charged in connection with arson incidents at Tesla car dealerships and charging stations.The Justice Department said the individuals each face between five and 20 years in prison if convicted.
“Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars,” Bondi said.
All three defendants are accused of using incendiary devices known as Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla vehicles or charging stations. Prosecutors earlier announced their arrests in all three cases.
Tesla has become a target of activists opposed to the political agenda of President Donald Trump and the role of his adviser Elon Musk, the electric car maker’s CEO, in putting it in motion. Musk is leading the administration’s drive to slash the federal payroll through the Department of Government Efficiency.
In addition, Musk has orchestrated the cancellation of contracts at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds humanitarian programs around the world.
The three people in the arson cases include Lucy Grace Nelson, 42, who was charged in February with possession of a destructive device and malicious destruction of property used in interstate commerce. Nelson has pleaded not guilty and been released on bond.
Nelson was spotted at a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado, on several occasions in January and February, according to a criminal complaint. Police found a container of gasoline, a box of bottles and wick material in Nelson’s car, according to the complaint.
Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, is also facing a destructive device charge after he was accused of throwing about eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon. Lansky has been ordered detained to await trial and has not yet entered a plea.
Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, was charged earlier this month after allegedly throwing incendiary devices at Tesla charging stations in North Charleston, South Carolina. Witnesses reported the man also spray-painted a profane message about Trump and the words “Long Live Ukraine” in the parking lot, according to a criminal complaint.
Clarke-Pounder is charged with malicious destruction of property. He has not yet entered a plea and been released on $10,000 bond.
The anti-Musk sentiment has also triggered a series of “Tesla Takedown” protests at dealerships around the country in recent weeks. Still relatively small-scale, the noisy demonstrations have encouraged Americans to sell their Teslas and the company’s stock to protest the administration’s cuts and Musk’s role at DOGE. The protests have led to arrests in some cities.
In a show of support for Musk, Trump said last week that the government would label any violence against Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism and perpetrators will “go through hell.”
The labeling of the attacks as domestic terrorism, at this stage, appears to be mainly about public messaging. There is no criminal charge for domestic terrorism in the U.S. legal system, but prosecutors can seek a longer prison term at sentencing if they believe the crime was intended to intimidate the government or its citizens.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Frank McGurty and Rod Nickel)
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