A Fresno resident, Paul New, 57, has been sentenced to a three-year term in prison following a series of destructive acts involving explosive devices, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith in a press release. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, New engaged in the malicious destruction of property by targeting unoccupied vehicles and other property in Fresno.
Spanning from November 2022 to February 2023, these crimes affected local businesses and a health care service provider, with vehicular damage reported on Clinton Avenue and a bomb causing significant damage to a vehicle on Fallbrook Avenue – a vehicle which was used by a home health care business, on Feb. 19, 2023, such acts terrorizing the community and causing deep concern for the safety of local businesses. On a related note, Scott Eric Anderson, a co-defendant in the case, received an identical sentence of three years last October, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The investigation into the bombings was a joint effort, coordinated among the Fresno Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael G. Tierney prosecuted the case, which concluded with the sentencing of both defendants to federal prison, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
