Federal prosecutors have charged a man who identifies as a woman in connection with a string of vandalism against a Colorado Tesla dealership, which included Molotov cocktails being thrown at vehicles and the words “Nazi cars” spray painted on the building, along with a message that appeared directed at company co-founder Elon Musk.
Justin Thomas Nelson, who goes by the name of Lucy Grace Nelson, appeared in federal court in Denver briefly Thursday after being arrested on a single federal charge of malicious destruction of property. His ankles and wrists were shackled. He wore a purple tie-dye shirt and red-and-black checked pants, as he sat in the jury box with other defendants waiting for their cases to be called.
Nelson rocked back and forth slightly as Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter informed him of his rights, and Nelson’s mother watched from the front row of the gallery.
When Neureiter questioned lawyers about why federal charges were brought, Nelson began to speak but his attorney, public defender Jennifer Beck, rushed across the room to stop him. Cassie Wiemken of the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the federal government had a compelling interest to prosecute the case because of the danger posed by the “incendiary devices” allegedly used.
After Neureiter noted that Nelson did not report any income or expenses in his application for an attorney, Beck told him that he receives support from his family.
Nelson’s mother and attorney declined to comment after the hearing.
Nelson was arrested Monday on separate state charges after police said he returned to the dealership in Loveland, Colorado with “additional incendiary devices” and materials used in vandalism. However, it wasn’t clear whether state prosecutors have filed formal charges against him. Police said Wednesday that they expected federal charges to be filed.
Nelson was released from jail after his arrest on state charges after posting bond. But he was taken into federal custody on Thursday and will remain detained for now. He is scheduled to return to court for a hearing on Tuesday to determine whether he will continue to be held while he is being prosecuted on the federal charge.
A conviction on the charge carries a penalty of at least five years in prison.
According to the federal criminal complaint filed against Nelson, he is suspected of starting fires by igniting Molotov cocktails crafted from empty liquor bottles near vehicles that apparently did not cause much damage.
Photos included in the filing showed a small fire on the ground near vehicles. The dealership estimated that several incidents of vandalism over the course of about a month caused between $5,000 and $20,000 in damages, with an estimated $5,000 in damage to the vehicles.
Loveland police spokesperson Chris Padgett has said police were investigating the possibility of someone else being involved.
In one of the incidents, someone spray-painted an obscenity believed to be directed at Musk before being chased away by a security guard, according to a Loveland police affidavit.
Police said that at the time of Nelson’s arrest, they saw in his car cans of spray paint, gasoline, bottles, and various cloth pieces that could be soaked with an accelerant.
