A Texas man has been charged with federal crimes after allegedly attacking the home and business of a major Artificial Intelligence company CEO in San Francisco, according to an April 13 announcement. Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, from Spring, Texas, faces charges including attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm.
The case highlights concerns about violence directed at technology leaders and companies. Authorities say Moreno-Gama traveled from Texas to San Francisco on April 10 intending to kill the CEO. He is accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the CEO’s residence before proceeding to the company’s headquarters, where he tried to break into the building with a chair while threatening further violence.
“Violence cannot be the norm for expressing disagreement, be it with politics or a technology or any other matter,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “These alleged actions – which damaged property and could well have taken lives – will be aggressively prosecuted.” United States Attorney Craig Missakian said, “We will not tolerate any attempt to change the way Americans live and work through fear or violence…if the evidence shows that Mr. Moreno-Gama executed these attacks to change public policy or to coerce government and other officials, we will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism and together with our law enforcement partners prosecute him to the fullest extent allowed by law.” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo said, “The charges announced today reflect a deeply concerning escalation from intent to action targeting a private residence and a technology company with violence…Acts of destruction aimed at the tech sector will be met with the full force of law enforcement.”
When police arrived at the scene, they found Moreno-Gama carrying incendiary devices, kerosene, a lighter, and a document titled “Your Last Warning.” The document called for violence against CEOs of AI companies and their investors. On that same day he also emailed this manifesto version to his former college representatives in Texas.
If convicted on all counts related to explosives damage alone he faces between five years minimum up to twenty years maximum imprisonment; for possession of an unregistered firearm up ten years maximum could apply under federal sentencing guidelines.
The Justice Department is overseeing prosecution through Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis James following investigation by both FBI agents and San Francisco Police Department officers. The Justice Department serves as principal federal agency for law enforcement according to its official website. It includes more than 115,000 employees operating across all states as well as internationally in over fifty countries as noted online. Its mission focuses on upholding rule of law while ensuring national safety alongside civil rights protection according to department details.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has led these efforts since being sworn in as head of department on March 11th ,2021 according official records, previously overseeing key prosecutions such as Oklahoma City bombing case during his tenure as per agency history.
