A 35-year-old Mesa man, Ian William Moses, was sentenced to the mandatory minimum of 60 months in prison for setting fire to a Tesla vehicle and a Tesla dealership in Mesa, Arizona, on April 28, 2025.
Moses’ prison sentence is to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. Restitution will be determined at a hearing set for April 13, 2026.
A federal grand jury in Phoenix previously returned a five-count indictment charging Moses with maliciously damaging property and vehicles by means of fire, and Moses pleaded guilty to all charges on Oct. 27, 2025.
According to the Department of Justice, surveillance cameras showed Moses was at the Tesla dealership in Mesa shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday, April 28, 2025, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, tan ballcap, grey pants, black boots, and a black mask. He also carried a red plastic gas can and a black backpack. While in the Tesla dealership parking lot, Moses was captured on video as he placed fire starter logs next to the dealership building. Moses then poured gasoline onto the starter logs, the building, and three Tesla vehicles. At around 1:38 a.m., Moses ignited the starter logs, causing a fire that destroyed a silver Tesla Cybertruck. Video shows Moses leaving the dealership on a dark colored bicycle shortly thereafter.
Mesa police officers arrested Moses approximately a quarter mile from the Tesla dealership at around 3 a.m., still dressed in the same clothes as he was seen wearing at the scene. After his arrest, officers found a hand drawn map of the area in Moses’ pocket, which included a box with the letter “T” marking the dealership’s location.
“The safety of our community is of the utmost importance to the Mesa Police Department,” said Chief Dan Butler. “We do not tolerate violence or malicious actions that can lead to injury or death to members of the public or first responders. We are pleased with the swift justice delivered in this case. We appreciate the strong work of the Maricopa County and U.S. Attorneys’ offices.”
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