Pam Bondi Says DOJ Will Seek 20-Year Prison Sentence for Man Accused of Firebombing Tesla Dealership

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Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Monday that the Department of Justice intends to pursue a 20-year prison sentence for a man accused of throwing a firebomb at a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado.

According to Bondi, the suspect, identified as Cooper Jo Frederick, is facing federal charges in connection with the March 7 attack on the Tesla facility.

The Loveland Police Department reported on March 14 that an incendiary device was lit and thrown at the Tesla dealership, landing between two vehicles. People inside the facility who were cleaning the building at the time were put at risk, but responding officers managed to extinguish the fire.

Tesla Firebombing Suspect Hit With Federal Charges

Cooper Frederick. (Larimer County Sheriff’s Office)

“I’ve made it clear: if you take part in the wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, we will find you, arrest you, and put you behind bars,”
Bondi said in a video statement posted on X.

Tesla facilities have recently been the target of vandalism, protests, and violent incidents—backlash that observers link to CEO Elon Musk’s political involvement, including his support of former President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting agenda alongside the Department of Government Efficiency.

Alleged Firebomb Incident

“The building and several vehicles were also damaged by rocks during this same time,”
the department noted in a statement.

Frederick was booked on five state charges, including possession of explosives or an incendiary device. Bondi stated that Frederick was later arrested in Plano, Texas, following investigative work by the FBI, though she did not specify the exact federal charges pending against him. At the time of publication, those federal charging documents were not publicly accessible.

Additional Arrests and Charges

Frederick is not the only individual charged in connection to the Loveland Tesla dealership.

  • Lucy Grace Nelson, 40, was charged in February with criminal intent to commit a felony, criminal mischief, and using explosives or incendiary devices during a felony at the same location, according to Colorado police records.

Bondi also noted that the DOJ has charged multiple suspects in other incidents at Tesla properties, including some carrying mandatory minimum sentences of five years.

  • Paul Hyon Kim, 36, faces both state and federal charges tied to an alleged arson at a Tesla dealership in Las Vegas. Authorities say Kim unlawfully possessed incendiary devices and a firearm, caused property damage, and discharged a firearm into a vehicle, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the DOJ.

Musk Responds

Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke out about the spate of attacks, calling the violence “insane and deeply wrong.”

“Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks,”
he wrote on X.

In a separate incident, a fire destroyed 17 cars at a Tesla dealership in Rome on Monday. Local firefighters told Business Insider that the cause of the blaze was still under investigation. Musk referred to the Rome incident as “terrorism” in a post on X.

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