A man who carried out one of the most high-profile anti-Tesla arson attacks in the United States has now been handed a lengthy federal prison sentence.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Ian William Moses, 35, of Mesa, was sentenced on January 13, 2026, to five years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to setting fire to a Tesla Cybertruck and igniting multiple fires at a Tesla Service Center in East Mesa in the early hours of April 28, 2025.
Court records and surveillance footage showed Moses arriving at the location just before 2 a.m. wearing dark clothing, a mask, and a hooded sweatshirt. He was carrying a red gas can and a backpack filled with fire-starting materials. Video captured him placing fire starter logs near the building and alongside multiple vehicles, before pouring gasoline on the logs, the wall of the building, and three Teslas parked nearby.
Moments later, Moses ignited the fuel, triggering a blaze that completely destroyed a Cybertruck and sent flames climbing the side of the building. While firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire before it spread further, the explosion and flames posed a serious risk to the property and anyone who may have been inside or nearby.
Prosecutors said Moses also spray-painted “THEIF” on the side of the building, misspelling the word. Cameras installed around the Service Center and inside Tesla vehicles recorded the entire attack, leaving investigators with a clear trail of evidence.
After fleeing the scene on a bicycle, Moses was arrested roughly an hour later, about a quarter mile away, when police spotted him loading the bike into a white Chrysler minivan. Officers found him wearing the same clothes seen in the surveillance footage, along with a hand-drawn map in his pocket showing the building marked with the letter “T.”
The case was one of several violent incidents targeting Tesla facilities during the spring of 2025, amid heightened political tensions and growing online hostility toward CEO Elon Musk.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime.
“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. 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.”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell echoed that message, saying, “This sentence sends a clear message: violence and intimidation have no place in our community. Setting fire to a business in retaliation for political or personal grievances is not protest—it is a crime.”
While prosecutors sought more than six years behind bars, the judge imposed the mandatory minimum 60-month sentence under federal law. Moses will also face restitution, which will be determined at a hearing in April.
Before being taken into custody by U.S. Marshals, Moses apologized in court to Tesla, employees, and first responders. Once transferred to the Bureau of Prisons, he will begin serving his sentence, marking the first Tesla-related arson case in the country to conclude without going to trial.
