WASHINGTON: US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said on Thursday (Mar 20) 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 TSLA.O 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 US 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.
