OAKLAND, CA – Casey Robert Goonan, 35, of Oakland and Pleasant Hill, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison on Sept. 23 after pleading guilty to a series of arson attacks and attempted firebombings targeting law enforcement and government facilities in June 2024.
According to court records, Goonan admitted to placing six Molotov cocktails under a University of California Police Department patrol vehicle near the UC Berkeley campus on June 1, 2024, and setting the car on fire. He also attempted to firebomb the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland on June 11, 2024, by throwing rocks at the building and trying to ignite Molotov cocktails. Security officers interrupted the attempt, and Goonan fled, leaving the explosives burning in a planter nearby.
Goonan also set additional fires on the UC Berkeley campus on June 1, June 13, and June 16, 2024. At sentencing, the court labeled Goonan a “domestic terrorist,” citing that his actions were intended to influence or retaliate against the U.S. and California governments. Prosecutors said Goonan’s crimes were inspired by the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and that he had encouraged others to commit similar acts on college campuses in support of Palestine.
In addition to his prison term, Goonan was sentenced to 15 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $94,267.51 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the FBI, ATF, California State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the University of California Police Department. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
