A Vermont man was sentenced to four years in federal prison for stealing five luxury Teslas, one of which he set aflame on a frozen Lake Champlain.
Earlier this year, 34-year-old Michael A. Gonzalez of Shelburne pleaded guilty in federal court to five counts of possessing or selling a stolen vehicle. U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford issued the 48-month prison sentence during a hearing on Monday in Rutland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The thefts took place during 2018 and 2019. Gonzalez managed to steal the electric Model X cars, worth a combined $560,000, by exploiting Tesla’s online sale program to take possession before his bank transfers cleared. He then resold some of them through used car dealerships and online ads, a federal indictment detailed.
When Tesla didn’t provide Gonzalez with the paperwork he needed to resell one of the cars, he drove it onto the lake and set the Model X aflame, prosecutors said. Gonzalez submitted an insurance claim for the vehicle, but the insurer denied it.
He managed to steal two more Teslas from the company before his indictment in 2021.
The judge also ordered Gonzalez to pay the automaker $493,000 and forfeit $231,900. Following his release from prison, Gonzalez will spend three years under community supervision.
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