Justice Department Charges Man With Arson At New Mexico Tesla Dealership And Gop Headquarters

The Justice Department has charged a man with vandalizing a Tesla dealership in New Mexico and setting fire to the headquarters of the state Republican Party, according to court records unsealed Monday.

A criminal complaint charges Jamison R. Wagner, 40, with federal arson -related crimes in the fire last month and the vandalism in February at a Tesla dealership in Bernalillo, where authorities found two Tesla Model Y vehicles ablaze as well as swastika symbols on windshields and spray-painted graffiti messages including "Die Elon" and "Die Tesla Nazi."

Elon Musk is the billionaire CEO of Tesla and a close ally of President Donald Trump who has helped engineer a massive downsizing of the federal government and purge of employees.

The arrest is part of a federal crackdown on what Attorney General Pam Bondi has described as a wave of domestic terrorism against property carrying the logo of Musk's electric-car company. Bondi previewed the arrest Thursday during a Cabinet meeting to highlight federal law enforcements' efforts to go after vandals in recent weeks who have been targeting Tesla.

Wagner is also charged in connection with a fire last month at the Albuquerque headquarters of the New Mexico Republican Party. The fire badly burned the entrance and caused extensive smoke damage throughout the office, authorities said. Republican representatives also found spray paint on the side of the building about 50 feet 15 meters from the entrance, saying "ICE=KKK," according to New Mexico Republican Party Chair Amy Barela.