The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, ATF, the California Office of the State Fire Marshal, and UCPD

“Resorting to violent, criminal activity that destroys property and threatens lives is not the way to communicate dissatisfaction. Thank you to the investigating agencies and law enforcement officers for protecting the public from someone who set out to do harm.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

OAKLAND – On January 14, 2025, Casey Robert Goonan, 34, of Oakland and Pleasant Hill, pleaded guilty to federal arson charges in relation to a series of firebombings and arsons at the Oakland federal building and the University of California, Berkeley in June 2024.

According to a plea agreement, in the early morning hours of June 11, 2024, Goonan arrived at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland carrying a bag containing three explosive devices commonly known as “Molotov cocktails.”  Goonan threw rocks at the building, hoping to break a window in order to throw lit Molotov cocktails inside. That plan was disrupted by protective services officers; upon fleeing from the officers, Goonan placed the Molotov cocktails in a planter on the side of building and lit them on fire.

Goonan also admitted to placing a bag containing six Molotov cocktails underneath the fuel tank of a marked University of California Police Department (UCPD) patrol car at UC Berkeley in the early morning hours of June 1, 2024, lighting the bag on fire and fleeing, causing the patrol car to catch on fire.

In addition to these two attacks, Goonan admitted to setting other fires on the UC Berkeley campus on June 1, June 13, and June 16, 2024.

Goonan admitted that these crimes were designed to influence and affect the conduct of governments by intimidation and coercion and to retaliate against the governments of the United States and the State of California for their conduct. Goonan also agreed that the Court should apply Section 3A1.4 of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the terrorism enhancement, in determining the appropriate sentence.

Goonan pleaded guilty to one count of Maliciously Damaging or Destroying Property Used in or Affecting Interstate Commerce by Means of Fire or an Explosive in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i), which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a minimum sentence of five years in prison.  Any sentence will be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Goonan, who has been in custody since being arrested, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 8, 2025.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, ATF, the California Office of the State Fire Marshal, and UCPD.