A man who allegedly torched two vehicles at a Tesla dealership and painted 鈥淒ie Elon鈥 on the side of the building has been hit with federal charges, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.
The charges are the latest to be levied in connection to attacks on the EV maker whose boss, Elon Musk, has become a hate figure for some over his role in slashing government as a top adviser to President Donald Trump.
Two Tesla vehicles were badly damaged in the firebomb attack on a showroom in Albuquerque on February 9, and slogans likening Musk and his company to Nazis were sprayed on the walls.
Jamison Wagner, 40, who lives in the city in the western state of New Mexico, was also charged over a firebomb attack that hit an office of the state鈥檚 Republican Party last month.
If convicted on the two charges of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives, he could be jailed for up to 20 years on each ccharge, the Department of Justice said.
鈥淟et this be the final lesson to those taking part in this ongoing wave of political violence,鈥 Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
鈥淲e will arrest you, we will prosecute you and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences.鈥
Federal prosecution carries a stiff penalty compared with local law, where such a crime typically results in a sentence starting from only 18 months of incarceration and a US$5000 ($8500) fine. In March, Trump even suggested that people who vandalise Tesla property could be deported to prisons in El Salvador.
Musk, the South Africa-born billionaire chief of Tesla and SpaceX, is leading Trump鈥檚 ruthless cost-cutting drive at the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Lauded on the right, he has rapidly become one of the most controversial figures in the country.
- More Teslas targeted by paint pest, police probe after six cars damaged in one night
- Anger at Elon Musk turns violent with molotov cocktails and gunfire at Tesla lots
- Cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one
Several Tesla dealerships and cars in the US and worldwide have been vandalised and the company鈥檚 share price has taken a hammering.
- Agence France-Presse
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