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Tuesday April 15, 2025
(NEW MEXICO) -- A New Mexico man has been arrested and federally charged in connection with two separate arson attacks on a Tesla dealership and the Republican Party's state headquarters in Albuquerque, according to newly unsealed court documents.
Jamison Wagner is alleged to have set fires at a Tesla showroom in Bernalillo on Feb. 9 and vandalized several vehicles in the parking lot with phrases including, "Die Elon," "Tesla Nazi Inc" and "Die Tesla Nazi," according to a federal complaint.
Wagner also allegedly spray-painted the showroom itself, according to pictures from his criminal affidavit. The complaint includes images from surveillance video prosecutors said show the arson suspect wearing all-black clothing, a black mask and hoodie.
Wagner is also alleged to have separately set a fire in the early morning hours of March 30 at the New Mexico state GOP party's headquarters in Albuquerque.
When firefighters responded to the scene, they discovered graffiti with the phrase "ICE=KKK" on the south wall of the building, written in a way investigators say "appeared to be substantially similar" to the spray-painting at the Tesla dealership.
Wagner has been charged with arson of a building and/or vehicle used in interstate commerce,
He has not yet entered a plea to the charges, according to court records. A detention hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.
ABC News has reached out to his court-appointed federal public defender for comment.
Investigators were able to track down Wagner's identity and draw further connections between the two arsons by examining explosive material and other evidence from the scenes, according to the affidavit. They also extensively examined traffic camera photos and other surveillance to identify the car driven by the suspect in both arson attacks, according to the affidavit.
In a search of Wagner's residence on Friday, Investigators seized "significant evidence" of his alleged involvement in both fires, including other fully assembled incendiary devices, black and red spray paint, and clothing that allegedly linked him to the crime scenes, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also found a stencil with "ICE=KKK" that appeared to match the spray-painting format from the Republican Party arson attack, according to the affidavit.
Wagner was arrested on Saturday, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
"Evidence recovered at the scene strongly suggests that this weekend, our brave agents prevented further planned arson attacks," he said in a statement on X. "Amazing work from our teams, ATF colleagues, and regional law enforcement partners executing the mission."
Attorney General Pam Bondi previewed Wagner's arrest during a Cabinet meeting at the White House last week, telling President Donald Trump that there was going to be "another huge arrest on a Tesla dealership." She said prosecutors would not be engaging in plea negotiations and intend to seek the maximum sentence possible for any individual alleged to have carried out attacks on Tesla dealerships.
"We will be prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law," Bondi said Monday in a statement on X announcing the arrest.
Bondi said the government plans to seek "up to 40 years" in prison for Jamison -- though a judge will ultimately make the final determination if he is found guilty of the charges.
Wagner is the fifth person to face federal charges in connection with the recent spate of vandalism incidents involving Tesla, according to Bondi.
Four people were previously arrested and face multiple federal charges in connection with Tesla incidents.
The suspects were charged last month in separate cases for allegedly using Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla cars and charging stations in Las Vegas; Salem, Oregon; Loveland, Colorado; and Charleston, South Carolina.
Bondi called the spate of attacks "nothing short of domestic terrorism."
Recent attacks aimed at Tesla dealerships, vehicles and charging stations have been reported in cities across the United States since Tesla CEO Elon Musk began his role with the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Last month, Musk said the company has increased security nationwide amid the vandalism reports.
Patel said the evidence in the New Mexico case "stemmed from our ongoing investigation of the March arson attack on the New Mexico Republican Party HQ."
No one was injured in the incident, which the Republican Party of New Mexico called a "deliberate act of arson."
"This horrific attack, fueled by hatred and intolerance, is a direct assault on our values, freedoms and our right to political expression," party officials said in a statement at the time.
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(WASHINGTON) -- The Department of Justice said it is reviewing the criminal case brought against a former FBI informant convicted of peddling lies about former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden and is moving for a judge to release the man from prison immediately while his case is on appeal.
Alexander Smirnov was sentenced to six years in prison in January after pleading guilty to lying to his FBI handler about the Biden family's ties to a Ukrainian energy company -- in addition to a series of unrelated tax fraud charges.
Smirnov's lies were later seized on by House Republicans to bolster their efforts to impeach Joe Biden over unproven claims that he corruptly used his position as vice president in the Obama administration to benefit himself financially once out of office.
"The United States intends to review the government's theory of the case underlying Defendant's criminal conviction," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Friedman said in a filing Thursday, offering no further explanation.
The case against Smirnov, brought by former special counsel David Weiss, who was previously a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, alleged he concocted "fabrications" about Joe Biden and his son accepting $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy giant Burisma. The indictment accused Smirnov of repeatedly changing his story about the alleged bribery scheme after meeting with senior members of Russia's intelligence services, in what Weiss described as a deliberate effort to influence the 2024 presidential election.
The Thursday filing points to health problems Smirnov has reportedly faced since his incarceration. His attorneys have said he has suffered from chronic eye disease for over a year and requested he be released to receive treatment from a doctor in California.
The judge overseeing his case, however, repeatedly rejected their efforts prior to his guilty plea, arguing he posed a risk of flight from the United States based on his extensive contacts with overseas foreign intelligence services.
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment further on the government's filing.
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