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2w ago

Judge Gives 19-Year Federal Term to UC Berkeley Firebombing Defendant After Terrorism Enhancement

The judge concluded the firebombings were meant to coerce government action based on Goonan’s admissions.

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Overview

  • Casey Robert Goonan, 35, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison, with 15 years of supervised release and $94,267.51 in restitution plus a $100 special assessment.
  • He pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of maliciously damaging or destroying property used in or affecting interstate commerce by means of fire or an explosive.
  • According to court filings, he ignited a bag of six Molotov cocktails under a UCPD patrol car on June 1, 2024, attempted to firebomb Oakland’s Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building on June 11, and set additional fires on June 1, 13, and 16.
  • Prosecutors said he acknowledged being inspired by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack and admitted his actions were intended to influence governments and to rally others to damage property in support of Palestine.
  • The FBI, ATF, California Office of the State Fire Marshal, and UCPD investigated the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikhil Bhagat prosecuted it, and Goonan has been in custody since June 17, 2024.