Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico man was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison for possession of destructive devices.
According to court documents, in August 2020, Xavier Louis Lopez, 25, paced through his suburban Henrico neighborhood, wielding a knife that he used to slash the tires of cars belonging to neighbors of whose political views he disapproved. When police officers located and arrested Lopez, he violently resisted, attempted to gain control of a knife, and physically assaulted the officers.
After the arrest, investigators searched Lopez’s residence and located over a thousand rounds of ammunition, more than a dozen high-capacity magazines, rifle parts, and machining tools and equipment. All firearms-related items were seized following his 2021 plea agreement related to felony vandalism charges.
After Lopez’s release from prison in November 2022, investigators recovered eight Molotov cocktails, destructive devices with Styrofoam added to the gasoline mixture inside, creating improvised napalm. Located near the Molotov cocktails was a box of 9mm hollow-point ammunition, as well as the defendant’s attempts to 3D-print the final piece of a 9mm handgun build kit he had purchased anonymously online.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI’s Richmond Field Office thank the Henrico County Police Department and Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance to the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett and Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-79.