Additional Coverage:
- Tesla dealership arsonist learns prison sentence after pleading guilty in Cybertruck torching (foxnews.com)
MESA, AZ – A man who pleaded guilty to setting fire to a Tesla dealership in Mesa, causing significant damage, has been handed a five-year prison sentence. Ian William Moses was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S.
District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 60 months in prison-the mandatory minimum-followed by 36 months of supervised release, according to the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
Court documents detail the incident, captured by surveillance cameras at the Tesla dealership on April 28, 2025. Moses, dressed in a dark hooded sweatshirt, tan ballcap, grey pants, black boots, and a black mask, was seen arriving at the dealership shortly before 2 a.m. He carried a red plastic gas can and a black backpack.
Video footage shows Moses placing fire starter logs next to the dealership building, then dousing them, the building, and three Tesla vehicles with gasoline. At approximately 1:38 a.m., Moses ignited the logs, sparking a blaze that ultimately destroyed a silver Tesla Cybertruck. He was then seen leaving the scene on a dark-colored bicycle.
The incident occurred amid a wave of anti-Tesla vandalism last year, reportedly fueled by backlash against billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk’s involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his public alliance with President Donald Trump.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine condemned the actions, stating, “Arson can never be an acceptable part of American politics.
Mr. Moses’ actions endangered the public and first responders and could have easily turned deadly.”
Courchaine added, “This five-year sentence reflects the gravity of these crimes and makes clear that politically fueled attacks on Arizona’s communities and businesses will be met with full accountability.”