On March 31, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced federal charges against Cooper Jo Frederick, a 24-year-old from Fort Collins, Colorado. Frederick was arrested on March 14 in Plano, Texas, for allegedly throwing an incendiary device at a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado, on March 7, causing a fire between two vehicles.
A cleaning crew was inside at the time, but no injuries were reported. Bondi stated the Department of Justice is seeking a 20-year prison sentence, labeling the act part of a “wave of domestic terrorism” against Tesla properties.
Justice is coming. pic.twitter.com/r9D3SobYT1
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) March 31, 2025
Separately, Justin Thomas Nelson, a 42-year-old, who goes by Lucy Grace Nelson, a “trans” woman from Lyons, Colorado, was charged earlier this year for attacks on the same dealership as previously reported by DX. On January 29, Nelson allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail near a Tesla Cybertruck, later spray-painting “Nazi cars” on the windows and possessing incendiary materials.
Arrested on February 24, Nelson faces federal charges of malicious destruction of property, with a potential minimum of five years in prison if convicted.
The announcement on X about Frederick builds on prior cases like Nelson’s, reflecting the federal government’s ongoing response to violence targeting Tesla, linked by some to tensions over Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration.
Bondi emphasized on X, “If you take part in these acts, we will find you and prosecute you,” highlighting a firm stance as investigations into similar incidents continue nationwide.
