A New Mexico man is facing federal charges for two separate incidents of alleged arson—one at an Albuquerque Tesla showroom and one at the New Mexico Republican Party’s office—according to a Monday press release from the Department of Justice.
Jamison Wagner, 40, was charged with allegedly setting fire to a building or vehicle used in interstate commerce. The charge can apply to goods manufactured and sold in different states and the facilities that house them—like the Tesla showroom or the Republican office, which also sells MAGA merchandise. DOJ spokesperson Shannon Shevlin tells WIRED that Wagner’s arrest happened on Saturday.
“Let this be the final lesson to those taking part in this ongoing wave of political violence,” attorney general Pam Bondi said in the Monday press release. “We will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences.”
Wagner’s arrest warrant alleges that he is responsible for a February 9 incident at a Tesla showroom in which windows were shattered and two Tesla Model Ys were set on fire. It also alleges that he is responsible for a March 30 incident at the Republican Party of New Mexico office in which the entrance area was set on fire and “ICE=KKK” was graffitied on the building’s exterior.
The arrest warrant also says that a lead investigator on Wagner’s case is an FBI agent specializing in “international terrorism, domestic terrorism and firearms.” This marks the second known time that FBI terrorism investigators have gotten involved in a criminal investigation tied to the recent public backlash against Musk and Tesla. However, it’s the first time that the suspect was also allegedly tied to another incident—which, in this case, targeted a Republican office.
The arrest comes amid repeated calls by Bondi, President Trump, Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to treat arson and vandalism of Tesla property as “domestic terrorism.” Five other people are currently facing federal charges for alleged vandalism and arson targeting Tesla property, according to press releases by the DOJ.
As reported by WIRED, law enforcement can get access to surveillance technologies and have more legal leeway during terrorism investigations than in other types of investigations. These investigations could also possibly enable Musk and Tesla executives to access surveillance on “Tesla Takedown” protesters, though the protests have broadly been peaceful, and public-facing protest organizers have said that they don’t endorse property damage. The FBI can decide to share this type of information with the victim of a crime during an investigation, WIRED previously reported.
Bondi teased news of Wagner’s arrest last week in a televised Cabinet meeting, telling Trump that there would be “another huge arrest” pertaining to an attack on a Tesla dealership within the next 24 hours.
“That person will be looking at at least 20 years in prison with no negotiations,” Bondi said on Thursday. (The DOJ press release issued after Wagner’s arrest notes, “A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”)
