Palm Desert Man Pleads Guilty To Firebombing GOP Office

Palm Desert CA

15 March, 2021

8:00 PM

Description

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — A Palm Desert man admitted last week that he used a Molotov cocktail in an attempt to burn down a Republican group's office. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge on Monday for which he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Carlos Espriu, 23, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon during a Zoom hearing before U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson to one count of attempted arson of the East Valley Republican Women Federated headquarters in La Quinta. Espriu has been in custody since his arrest last fall and will now face a mandatory, minimum of five years in federal prison. On Monday Espriu also agreed to pay $5,426.64 in restitution to compensate for the damage caused by the firebombing. During the early hours of May 31 last year, Espriu, reportedly broke through the front windows of the Republican office tossed an ignited Molotov cocktail — a makeshift grenade — into the building. SEE ALSO: Palm Desert Man Who Firebombed GOP Office Enters Plea Agreement The fire was reported at 1:30 a.m. on May 31, 2020. Arriving firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze before it could cause much damage, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. No injuries were reported. Sometime before the firebombing, Espriu also tweeted: "I wanna go burn s--- n get hit with tear gas," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The East Valley Republican Women Federated offered a reward for the suspect's capture. Tips generated from the reward appear to have helped authorities identify Espriu as the suspect. Even as Espriu faces a possible 20-year sentence, this may just be the beginning of his legal troubles. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office also charged him with three felonies — one count of arson of a non-dwelling and two counts of possessing destructive or explosive devices. He also faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a device designed to accelerate the fire. Espriu could face up to 15 years and eight months in state prison if convicted as charged in state court, according to prosecutors. Court records did not immediately reflect when he would return to Riverside County to stand trial, but officials previously indicated it would be after his federal matter was resolved. The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Inland Empire Joint Terrorism Task Force. The City News Service contributed to this report.