A 35-year-old man who set fire to a Tesla Cybertruck and attempted to burn down a Tesla dealership in Mesa, Arizona, has been sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of probation.
Arizona’s Family reports that Ian William Moses received his sentence in federal court for an arson attack that occurred at a Tesla dealership in Mesa during the early morning hours of April 28. The incident took place at the facility located near Southern Avenue and Sossaman Road. Moses will serve five years in federal prison, after which he will be subject to three years of supervised probation.
Breitbart News reported on the attack at the time, including the fact that the perpetrator, later identified as Moses, couldn’t spell the word “thief:”
An overnight fire at a Tesla dealership in Mesa, Arizona, is being investigated as a potential case of arson, according to local police. One of the most curious aspects of the crime is that the perpetrators spray-painted “THEIF” on the side of the building, demonstrating that some domestic terrorists can’t spell.
12 News reports that in the early morning hours of Monday, the Mesa Police Department responded to reports of a fire at a Tesla dealership located just southwest of Southern Avenue and Sossaman Roads. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered that a Tesla Cybertruck had been burned, and the building defaced by a vandal with bad spelling.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine emphasized the severity of the crime in his statement following the sentencing. He noted that arson cannot be considered an acceptable form of political expression in the United States. Courchaine stated that Moses’ actions put both the general public and emergency responders at risk and could have resulted in fatalities. The prosecutor stressed that the five-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the offenses and demonstrates that politically motivated attacks on Arizona businesses and communities will face full legal consequences.
According to investigators, Moses arrived at the Tesla dealership in the early morning and placed what appeared to be fire starter logs at three different locations along the exterior wall of the building. He then poured an accelerant liquid onto the logs, the wall, and three Tesla vehicles parked nearby. Using a lighter, Moses ignited the fire, which completely destroyed one Tesla Cybertruck. While the vehicle was consumed by flames, the building itself sustained minimal damage.
After committing the arson, Moses fled the scene on a bicycle. However, law enforcement located him around 3:00 a.m. when he was observed placing his bicycle into his van. Officers detained Moses while he was still wearing the same clothing visible in the surveillance footage from the dealership. During a search, police discovered a hand-drawn map in Moses’ pocket that depicted the area surrounding the dealership. The map included a box marked with the letter “T” to indicate the location of the Tesla facility.
Following Moses’ arrest, Attorney General Pamela Bondi characterized the incident as an act of domestic terrorism. However, when formal charges were filed, no specific domestic terrorism counts were included in the indictment.
The attack on the Mesa Tesla dealership was not an isolated incident. It occurred during a period in spring 2025 when multiple violent acts targeted Tesla properties and interests. The U.S. Department of Justice charged three individuals in total for various violent incidents directed at the electric vehicle company, which is led by billionaire CEO Elon Musk. During this timeframe, anti-Musk sentiment had intensified as the executive headed an initiative known as DOGE that aimed to reduce government spending.
Read more at Arizona’s Family here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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