A Las Vegas man who used a rifle and Molotov cocktails to attack a Tesla repair facility last year has been sentenced to five years in federal prison — a quarter of the 20-year term prosecutors had sought. U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Paul Hyon Kim on October 14 to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Department of Justice for the District of Nevada said.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

According to court documents cited by the Justice Department, in the early morning hours of March 18, 2025, Kim shot out two exterior security cameras at the Tesla Collision Center Las Vegas with a .300 Blackout AR-platform semiautomatic rifle, spray-painted the word “RESIST” in large capital letters on the double entrance doors, and fired several shots into Tesla vehicles parked in front of the facility. He then threw three Molotov cocktails into three vehicles; two exploded and erupted into flames and a third did not detonate. In total, five vehicles were destroyed beyond repair, and Kim fled on foot to his car and drove away.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

60 monthsprison sentence imposed (5 years)
240 monthssentence the government recommended (20 years)
3 yearssupervised release after prison
5vehicles destroyed beyond repair in the March 2025 attack

Guilty plea in February

In February 2026, Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm (a destructive device), the Justice Department said. FOX5 (KVVU) in Las Vegas reported the same sentence, the same guilty-plea counts and the same attack details from the department's release.

Source: FOX5 KVVU, Las Vegas

“The Department of Justice has been clear: anyone who participates in domestic terrorism will suffer severe legal consequences,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah said in the department's statement. “There is no place for violence as a means of resolving political differences in our democracy.” The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case, with help from the Clark County Fire Department, the department said.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

What is solid

  • Kim was sentenced on October 14, 2026 to 60 months in federal prison plus three years of supervised release by Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey.
  • The government had recommended a 240-month (20-year) sentence.
  • Kim pleaded guilty in February 2026 to two arson counts, one attempted-arson count and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device, over the March 18, 2025 attack that destroyed five vehicles.

What is only claimed

  • Why the sentence came in well below the government's recommendation has not been fully explained in the public release; reporting on the hearing said the judge rejected a terrorism-related sentencing enhancement prosecutors had sought — that detail comes from hearing coverage, not from the Justice Department statement itself.

The attack was one of the most violent in a wave of vandalism and arson aimed at Tesla facilities in 2025, as protests against chief executive Elon Musk and his political role intensified. No injuries were reported in the Justice Department's account of the Las Vegas attack.