An activist has been sentenced to prison after his attempt to set a Tesla dealership ablaze was marred by two glaring blunders.
Ian William Moses, 35, was captured on surveillance footage with a red gas can in hand as he approached the dealership on April 25.
The video revealed him strategically placing fire starter logs near the premises before dousing both the building and three Tesla vehicles with gasoline.
His actions ignited a massive blaze, resulting in the destruction of a silver Cybertruck.
In addition to arson, Moses attempted to vandalize the dealership by spray-painting, but his effort was undermined by a spelling error—writing ‘theif’ instead of ‘thief.’
He made his escape on a bicycle but was soon apprehended. Authorities quickly identified him thanks to his attire, which matched what he wore in the surveillance footage.
Police also found a hand-drawn map of the area in his pocket. It had a box with the letter ‘T’ inside it marking the dealership’s location.
Ian William Moses, 35, was caught on camera carrying a red plastic gas can while approaching the building on April 25
Footage showed him putting fire starter logs next to the dealership before pouring gasoline on the building and three Tesla cars
Moses also spray-painted the building, but misspelled the word ‘thief’ as ‘theif’
Moses, 35, pleaded guilty to federal charges of maliciously damaging property and vehicles by means of fire.
He was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday plus an additional 36 months of supervised release.
A hearing is scheduled for April 13 to determine what he must pay for damaging the dealership and vehicles.
‘Arson can never be an acceptable part of American politics. Mr. Moses’ actions endangered the public and first responders and could have easily turned deadly,’ US Attorney Timothy Courchaine said.
‘This five-year sentence reflects the gravity of these crimes and makes clear that politically fueled attacks on Arizona’s communities and businesses will be met with full accountability.’
The incident was part of a wave of arson attacks on Tesla dealerships last year that came in retaliation for the car manufacturer’s CEO, Elon Musk’s deep ties to the Trump administration.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has vowed to prosecute those who attacked Tesla dealerships and vehicles to the fullest extent of the law and called Moses’ attack ‘domestic terrorism.’
‘Today we are pleased to announce federal charges against a Tesla attacker arrested in Arizona,’ she wrote on X when he was indicted last April.
‘If you engage in domestic terrorism, this Department of Justice will find you, follow the facts, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. No negotiating.’
Police found a hand-drawn map of the area in Moses’ pocket, which included a box with the letter ‘T’ marking the dealership’s location
Surveillance cameras captured Moses at the Tesla dealership in Mesa wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, a tan ball cap, grey pants, black boots, and a black mask, and carrying a red plastic gas can and a black backpack
Moses was sentenced to five years in prison and a hearing is scheduled for April 13 to determine the restitution he must pay for damaging the dealership and vehicles
In Missouri, a transgender teen is facing 30 years behind bars for allegedly firebombing two Tesla Cybertrucks last year.
Owen McIntire, 19, could spend the remainder of his youth behind bars for the March 17, 2025, Molotov cocktail attack on two of the EVs at a Tesla dealership in his native Kansas City.
The teen, who was receiving so-called gender-affirming care at the time of the attacks, has denied federal charges of malicious destruction of property and unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device.
One charge carries with it a mandatory five years in prison, and he could spend 30 years behind bars if found guilty on all counts. He’d be 49 on release if the maximum sentence was imposed.
McIntire’s trial is scheduled to begin on August 10.
