Men linked to hate group charged in Fresno pipe bombings by federal prosecutors
Two men suspected of being involved in a hate group were charged Thursday with using pipe bombs on cars in Fresno by federal prosecutors.
Scott Eric Anderson, 43, and Paul New, 55, both of Fresno, were indicted on conspiracy to destroy by means of an explosive device and malicious destruction by means of an explosive device, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced in a news release.
The indictment announced Thursday did not include any references to hate crimes, but Fresno police said they were being investigated as such.
Anderson also faces a gun possession charge because he was previously arrested for carrying a loaded and concealed gun, prosecutors said.
Anderson and New set off a series of pipe bombs on unoccupied cars and property in Fresno between November 2022 and February 2023, prosecutors said.
After their arrest on March 1, Fresno police said the bombings began in a car at 5674 E. Clinton Ave. Other bombings took place in mailboxes and other cars.
A bomb heavily damaged a vehicle used by a home health care business on Fallbrook Avenue, according to prosecutors. Anderson sometimes recorded the explosions.
Anderson and New face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and fines, prosecutors said.
The investigation ranged as far as Riverside County, police said in March.
