AVONDALE, Ariz. — A 19-year-old Avondale man has been indicted in connection with an alleged arson attempt at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement property in Surprise earlier this year.
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Gabriel Mendoza-Acoltzi was taken into custody on May 7 after a federal grand jury charged him with malicious damage to federal property and willful depredation against U.S. property, officials with the United States Attorney’s office said. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on February 21, 2026.
According to court documents, surveillance video captured a Honda Civic entering the facility’s parking lot around midnight. Investigators say Mendoza-Acoltzi exited the vehicle carrying a propane tank, which he allegedly used to break a window. He is accused of using a torch connected to the tank to set fire to window coverings inside the building’s lobby.
Authorities also reported finding an anti-ICE message spelled out with landscaping rocks near the property.
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Last week, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael T. Morrissey granted the United States’ request that Mendoza-Acoltzi be detained pending further proceedings. If convicted, he faces between five and 20 years in federal prison, along with potential fines of up to $250,000, and one to three years of supervised release.
The investigation was led by the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, ICE, and Surprise police and fire departments. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, officials emphasized.
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