DOJ charges in Tesla, GOP arson in New Mexico

Federal authorities arrested a New Mexico man in connection with arson attacks on a Tesla showroom and the state’s Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque.

Jamison Wagner, 40, faces two federal counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives, the Department of Justice said in a press release Monday.

The Albuquerque resident’s arrest is the latest in a series of criminal cases filed in connection with attacks on Tesla properties. The electric vehicle maker led by Elon Musk has become a magnet for controversy over his control of President Donald Trump’s government-slashing DOGE initiative.

The Tesla showroom that was targeted in the Feb. 9 attack was also spray-painted with phrases including “Die Elon,” “Tesla Nazi Inc” and “Die Tesla Nazi,” the DOJ said.

The arson incident at the GOP headquarters on March 30 also involved graffiti: Investigators found the phrase “ICE=KKK” sprayed on the building’s south wall, according to the criminal complaint against Wagner.

“Hurling firebombs is not political protest,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the release. “It is a dangerous felony that we will prosecute to the maximum extent.”

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X later Monday afternoon, “Evidence recovered at the scene strongly suggests that this weekend, our brave agents prevented further planned arson attacks.

Wagner is being held pending a detention hearing, the DOJ said.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.

Tesla and Musk did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.

Investigators used surveillance footage to link Wagner to both attacks, the DOJ said.

Federal agents executed a search warrant at Wagner’s home on Saturday, where they “uncovered substantial evidence” tying him to the attacks, the government said.

The evidence seized included a box with eight “suspected incendiary devices” and a stencil of the phrase “ICE=KKK.”

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.