Man sentenced to eight years in federal prison for bombing statue in San Antonio

A Florida man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for bombing a sculpture in San Antonio, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Christopher Rodriguez, 45, pleaded guilty in Aug. 2024 to several charges, including damaging property occupied by a federal government and explosive materials, a news release says.

Rodriguez, a licensed Florida attorney and a U.S. Army veteran, bombed a sculpture of communist leaders Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong in a courtyard outside the Texas Public Radio building in 2022.

He placed two canisters of explosive materials at the base of the steel sculpture and used a rifle to set off the explosives, records show.

Rodriguez caused $325,000 worth of damages to the sculpture, the release stated.

A year later, Rodriguez used a rifle to try to detonate explosives outside the Chinese embassy in 2023 in Washington, D.C.

Read more: KSAT