Suspect in vandalism at Arizona Tesla dealership seeks to be released before trial
A federal judge will decide on May 2 whether the Mesa man accused of setting a Cybertruck on fire and vandalizing a Tesla dealership in late April should continue to be detained or released before trial.
Ian Moses' case is set at 3:30 p.m. in the United States District Court of Arizona before Magistrate Judge Michael T. Morrissey.
Attorneys for the United States, in a memo pleading for Moses' pretrial detention, called the 35-year-old a "serious flight risk and danger to the community." They said his "plan of attack" against Tesla "was meticulously planned out; strongly suggesting he will not comply with court ordered conditions and flee if given the opportunity." Moses' alleged willingness to set fire to a vehicle with a lithium-ion battery, attorneys said, "created an extraordinary risk to anyone who could have been nearby. …"
But Moses' attorney Anthony Knowles argued pretrial detention was an unwarranted and "extraordinary measure" given the "wide range of release conditions available to the Court."
Knowles said Moses had no criminal history and "demonstrated no behaviors that would suggest his inability or unwillingness to follow the Court's orders." He has strong ties to Arizona, including family and friends, plus a full-time job as a software engineer, which he relies on to pay his mortgage, Knowles said.
While Moses has a passport, the attorney said the man did not have the financial means to flee and was willing to "voluntarily surrender" the document pending trial. Also in the filing, Knowles said Moses was diagnosed with autism last year and was seeing a therapist biweekly for treatment.
Instead of detention, Knowles suggested the judge place Moses in his sister's custody, require an ankle monitoring bracelet and confine him to the home, plus restrict travel to only religious services, medical appointments, legal appointments, court and employment, pending court approval.
A grand jury indicted Moses on April 30 on five counts of "malicious damage to a vehicle … by means of fire." Each count, if proven at trial, carries a minimum of 5 years in prison and up to 20 years, U.S. attorneys said.
Here's what else you need to know.
Ian Moses, 35, was accused of malicious damage to a vehicle by means of fire in a complaint from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He was also previously arrested on suspicion of setting a Tesla Cybertruck on fire by the Mesa Police Department.
The charges came after law enforcement said they responded to a 2 a.m. call on April 28 related to an emergency at the Tesla dealership on Hampton Avenue and Sossaman Road. When they arrived, officers found a Cybertruck "engulfed in flames" and the misspelled word "theif" spray painted on a building's exterior wall.
Mesa police said Moses rode up on a bicycle and opened the door to a "suspicious van" parked near the dealership at Southern Avenue and Sossaman Road. Officers arrested Moses after matching him to video footage provided by the Tesla Security Center.
Moses was found wearing a black backpack containing a black mask, a plastic gas can, a lighter and a spray paint can, according to law enforcement. The complaint said he also had a hand-drawn map depicting the dealership as a letter "T." Security footage from Tesla shows a man dressed similarly and using the same materials Moses was carrying.
More on suspect: Tesla Cybertruck arson suspect had hand-drawn map of Mesa dealership, records say
Moses, 35, is a Mesa resident and software developer for Cognizant, a Mesa-based software company. He attended the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, according to court filings. His attorney said Moses was diagnosed with autism last year and has been "treating with a therapist every other week."
Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ian Moses, suspect in Mesa Tesla fire, seeks house arrest before trial
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