A former federal bureaucrat and an executive for a green nonprofit have been arrested and charged for allegedly vandalizing Teslas in Washington, D.C., according to The Washington Post.
Justin Fisher, 49, and his wife, Emily, 50, have been arrested and respectively charged with eight and five counts of defacing private property in connection to their alleged vandalism of Tesla vehicles in and around the capitalās Capitol Hill neighborhood, according to the Post. Justin Fisher formerly worked for the Government Accountability Office, a nominally nonpartisan agency in the legislative branch, and Emily Fisher was listed the Smart Electric Power Allianceās chief strategy officer, according to the outlet, though she no longer appears to be listed on the organizationās website.
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Authorities say that the couple defaced the vehicles by writing anti-Elon Musk slogans and statements on them, with one of the targeted vehicles belonging to an elementary school teacher, according to the Post. Liberals and left-wingers nationwide have protested Tesla and targeted Tesla showrooms with acts of property destruction as Musk has emerged as the face of the Trump administrationās efforts to cut wasteful government spending.
Some of the messages that the Fishers allegedly scrawled on the vehicles include things like āGo Doge I support Musk killing the dept of Education,ā āI love Musk and hate the Fed Govātā and āAsk me about my support of Nazis,ā according to the Post. Most of the vehicles the couple allegedly targeted were located within ten blocks of their residence at the time of the incidents.
Authorities are investigating the vandalism incidents as potential hate crimes, according to the Post. In Washington, D.C., the stiffest penalty for defacing private property is a year in jail and a $5,000 fine, according to the Post.
The couple released a statement through their attorneys addressing the situation, according to the Post.
āOur understanding is that the allegations in this case involve non-violent and non-destructive conduct that resulted in no property damage,ā says the statement, according to the Post. āWe trust that the government and the court system will treat our clients with fairness and proportionality. We look forward to ensuring their constitutional rights are upheld in accordance with the rule of law.ā
Smart Energy Power Allianceās website features an entire page dedicated to explaining the organizationās commitment to so-called āenergy equity,ā which it defines in part to include āaddressing past harms and injustices and proactively working to prevent future ones.ā
Emily Fisherās biography page on Smart Energy Power Allianceās website also stated that she is a co-chair of the executive board for City Year D.C., an organization that works with AmeriCorps to support schools in the capital city, according to the Post.
āThe Washington Post reported that Emily Fisher was a member of the DC siteās executive board. She was a local volunteer leader and has not been employed by City Year as an executive. She has resigned from the DC board, effective immediately, and is no longer serving as a board member with the DC site,ā Joe Zappala, vice president of communications for City Year told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Smart Energy Power Alliance did not respondĀ to request a request for comment.
Editorās note: This story has been updated with comment from City Year.
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