Henrico man caught with Molotov cocktails, half-built 3D-printed handgun sentenced to 8 years in prison
VENN
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A Henrico County man has been sentenced after law enforcement reportedly caught him with Molotov cocktails and a half-built 3D-printed handgun in November 2022.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, 25-year-old Xavier Louis Lopez of Henrico was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison for the possession of destructive devices, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Lopez's history with law enforcement reportedly began in August 2020, when the DOJ said he made his way through his suburban Henrico neighborhood with a knife that he used to slash the tires of his neighbors' cars.
According to the DOJ, the tires he slashed belonged to people who held political views he "disapproved" of.
"When police officers located and arrested Lopez, he violently resisted, attempted to gain control of a knife and physically assaulted the officers," the DOJ said.
After his arrest, investigators searched Lopez's residence and found:
- Over 1,000 rounds of ammunition
- More than a dozen high-capacity magazines
- Rifle parts
- Machining tools and equipment
All of the firearms-related items were seized after Lopez entered a plea agreement related to felony vandalism charges in 2021, per the DOJ.
Lopez was released from prison in November 2022. However, after his release, investigators reportedly recovered eight Molotov cocktails -- destructive devices with Styrofoam added to the gasoline mixture inside, creating improvised napalm.
(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice)
"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," the DOJ said.
On Thursday, Lopez was sentenced to 97 months in prison with three years of supervised release in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
