ATLANTA – Richard Tyler Hunsinger has been convicted for his role in an improvised explosive device attack on the Atlanta Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a protest in the summer of 2020.
“The US Attorney’s Office will always defend the right of citizens to protest peacefully,” said US Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “But destroying state property and throwing Molotov cocktails into buildings is unacceptable. Rather than catalyzing constructive dialogue, such dangerous actions fuel violence, tearing at the very fabric of our community and endangering lives. Prosecution and imprisonment are the end result of this unlawful conduct.”
“The increase in attacks on federal law enforcement officers — and law enforcement agencies generally and their property — is concerning and will not be tolerated,” said Keri Farley, the FBI’s Atlanta Special Agent in Charge. “Hopefully this conviction sends the message that the FBI will continue to work with our partners to hold violent protesters accountable for their actions that harm our communities.”
“Stopping violent criminals like Hunsinger who are targeting law enforcement is one of the most important things we can do to protect our communities,” said Acting Special Agent Katrina W. Berger, who oversees operations of the Homeland Security Investigations ( HSI) in Georgia and Alabama. “We are grateful for the hard work that has gone into this case and hope this sentence will serve as a warning to anyone else who may be considering committing such heinous acts.”
According to US Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: On July 23, 2020, Richard Tyler Hunsinger sponsored a protest titled “Rally Against Fascism.” The Event was to be held at the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office in Atlanta, Georgia (the “DHS Building”).
At around 11:30 p.m. on July 25, 2020, a crowd of protesters gathered in front of the DHS building. Hunsinger and others, wearing dark clothing, gloves and face coverings, breached the building’s fences and began demolishing the building. Hunsinger smashed in at least four windows of the front entrance of the DHS building with a hammer. He later lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it inside the facility. At the same time, other people used stones, cinder blocks, firecrackers and other materials to cause great damage to the building.
Law enforcement later recovered a broken bottle used to make a Molotov cocktail containing Hunsinger’s DNA, as well as an additional Molotov cocktail and modified fireworks covered in nails from inside the facility. Damage to the building and cleanup costs totaled more than $78,000.00.
Richard Tyler Hunsinger, 29, of Fairfax, Virginia, who was residing in Atlanta, Georgia at the time of the offense, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison followed by three years of custody, including eight months of house arrest. Hunsinger will also be required to pay compensation in an amount to be determined by the court at a later date. Hunsinger was convicted on October 25, 2022 after pleading guilty to the offenses of assaulting a federal official in violation of Title 18 of the United States Code, Sections 111(a)(1) and (b) and destroying government property under Violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1361.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Protective Service.
For more information, please contact the US Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The web address of the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
