Suspect in arson attacks at Tesla showroom, New Mexico GOP headquarters facing 40 years in prison
On February 9, two Tesla vehicles were damaged in an arson attack at the Tesla Albuquerque Showroom. The building was also damaged that day with graffiti reading 'Telsa Nazi Inc.,' as well as swastika symbols spray-painted in red and black paint on the showroom's exterior walls.
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Nearly two months later on March 30, Albuquerque's RPNM office was damaged in an arson attack which damaged the entrance. At both scenes, investigators located matching glass containers of improvised flammable mixtures with distinctive green lids.
Wagner was linked to the fires through surveillance footage, along with video of a white Hyundai Accent and matching scene evidence, federal investigators said.
Agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) raided Wagner's house in Albuquerque on April 12.
There, investigators reported finding assembled fire-starting devices, ingredients matching the flammable mixtures found at the scene, a jar with a similar green lid, black and red spray paint, and a stencil bearing the phrase 'ICE=KKK,' which matched the graffiti sprayed at the RPNM headquarters.
Wagner now faces two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire, and will stay in custody while he awaits his detention hearing on April 16. If convicted, Wagner faces between five and twenty years behind bars for each count.
'All of these cases are a serious threat to public safety, therefore there will be no negotiating. We are seeking 20 years in prison,' said Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who had previously labeled vandalism of Tesla dealerships to be 'domestic terrorism.'
'Let this be the final lesson to those taking part in this ongoing wave of political violence,' Bondi said. 'We will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences.
'Hurling firebombs is not political protest,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche added. 'It is a dangerous felony that we will prosecute to the maximum extent.'
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