Man Sentenced for Arson Attack on Tesla Dealership
A 35-year-old man was sentenced to five years in prison after setting fire to a Tesla Cybertruck and attempting to burn down a Tesla dealership in Mesa, Arizona. Following his prison term, he will also serve three years of probation.
The sentencing took place in federal court for Ian William Moses, who committed the arson early on April 28th. This incident occurred near Southern Avenue and Sossaman Road. Moses’ actions have drawn considerable attention due to his unusual choice of vandalism, which included misspelling “thief” on the building.
Local authorities treated the overnight fire as a potential case of arson. Officers found that the assailant had spray-painted the word “THEIF” on the dealership, pointing to a rather ironic twist: some perpetrators can lack basic literacy skills.
According to reports, Mesa Police responded to the blaze early that Monday morning and discovered that not only had a Tesla Cybertruck been destroyed, but the building itself had also been vandalized.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine stressed the severity of Moses’ crime in a post-sentencing statement. He highlighted that arson is not a valid form of political expression in the U.S. Courchaine emphasized that such actions pose risks to the public and emergency responders, potentially leading to loss of life. The attorney’s comments reflected the necessity for serious legal consequences for politically motivated attacks on businesses and communities in Arizona.
Investigators revealed that Moses arrived at the dealership early in the morning and strategically placed what appeared to be fire starter logs at three points along the exterior. He then soaked the logs, walls, and three adjacent Tesla vehicles in an accelerant before igniting the fire, which obliterated the Cybertruck. Fortunately, the damage to the building itself was limited.
After setting the blaze, Moses attempted to escape on his bicycle. However, he was apprehended around 3 a.m. after officers spotted him loading his bike into a van. He was still in the same clothing seen in the surveillance footage from the dealership. During a subsequent search, police discovered a hand-drawn map in his pocket, which included a box marked with the letter “T” indicating the Tesla dealership’s location.
Following his arrest, Attorney General Pamela Bondi described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism; nonetheless, specific charges related to domestic terrorism were not included when he was formally indicted.
Moses’ attack was not an isolated incident, occurring during a spring 2025 wave of violence targeting Tesla and its interests. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged three individuals in various cases linked to criminal actions against the electric car company, driven by anti-government sentiments during that time.
