On Sunday, a man was arrested for an alleged incident of arson outside Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office in Burlington, Vermont. According to the Justice Department, the man, 35-year-old Shant Soghomonian, may be sentenced for five to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines if convicted of the charge.
Soghomonian’s sentence “would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and sentencing factors in the United States Code,” per a Justice Department release.
Counsel for Soghomonian, previously of Northridge, California, is thus far unknown and a court date not yet scheduled.
What happened to Bernie Sanders’ office?
According to the release, Soghomonian entered the office building on April 5 and “was recorded on a security video spraying a liquid near the outer door of the office and then lighting the area with a handheld lighter.”
The fire triggered the building’s sprinklers and damaged Sanders’ office door as well as surrounding areas. While employees were present, nobody has been reported injured in the incident.
Response to the fire set in Bernie Sanders’ office
In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Sanders said, “I am deeply grateful to the swift, professional, coordinated efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement in response to the fire at my Vermont office on Friday. I am also thankful that none of the many people who were in the office building at the time of the fire were injured.”
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said in a statement, “A special thank you to Burlington Police Department detectives, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the integral role they played in bringing swift resolution to this investigation,” per CNN.
Mulvaney-Stanak added, “My office has offered the support of the Burlington Community Justice Center to Senator Sanders’s staff, and we will continue to be in close communication as their office navigates the impacts of this incident.”