Local News

Alleged arsonist arrested after fire at Bernie Sanders’ office

35-year-old Shant Soghomonian, who is also known as Michael Soghomonian, was arrested Sunday and is facing a federal arson charge after Friday's blaze.

By Molly Farrar

April 9, 2024

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A man is facing a federal arson charge after he allegedly set a fire at Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ Burlington office, according to federal prosecutors.

35-year-old Shant Soghomonian, also known as Michael Soghomonian, was arrested Sunday and is facing one charge of using fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce, the US Attorney for Vermont said in a statement. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders’s local office is on the third floor of 1 Church St. in downtown Burlington, Vermont’s most populous city.

Soghomonian, previously of California, was allegedly seen on security footage spraying a liquid near the outer door of Sanders’s office on Friday morning and using a lighter to start the blaze, prosecutors said. He quickly fled down the stairs in the footage, court documents show.

The fire damaged the office door and “surrounding areas,” Vermont’s federal prosecutor said in a statement.

Prosecutors did not identify a motive for the arson.

The US Attorney said the sprinklers went off on multiple floors, and no one was injured. There were multiple staffers inside the office, but it was unclear how many other occupants were in the building, prosecutors said.

Soghomonian faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, prosecutors said. His court appearance has not been scheduled.