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Man Charged in Arson at Bernie Sanders' Office Building

Shant Michael Soghomonian faces charges of maliciously damaging and attempting to destroy the Church Street building housing Sen. Sanders' office; the case is undecided and he is presumed innocent.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 25, 2026, 2:20 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 24, 2026, 5:22 p.m. ETWritten Aug 25, 2026, 2:22 a.m. ET
Shant Michael Soghomonian has been with maliciously damaging, and attempting to damage and destroy, the Church Street building in Burlington, Vermont, that houses Sen. Bernie Sanders' office, according to VTDigger. The charge stems from an incident on April 5, 2024, in which the government alleged Soghomonian set fire to the entryway leading to Sanders' office. The case is only at the charging stage and has not been decided; Soghomonian has not been tried and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case is being prosecuted in the , with the Burlington Police Department investigating. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled; the statutory maximum penalty is in prison.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 25, 2026, 2:20 a.m. ETFirst report

    Man Charged with Arson at Bernie Sanders' Office Building

    Shant Michael Soghomonian has been charged in the District of Vermont with maliciously damaging, and attempting to damage and destroy, the Church Street building that houses Sen. Bernie Sanders' office, according to vtdigger.org. The government alleges that Soghomonian set fire to the entryway leading to Sanders' office on April 5, 2024. The Burlington Police Department is investigating. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Soghomonian has been charged but not tried; charges are allegations and he is presumed innocent. The case is ongoing, and the investigation is open.

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Revision history

  1. Version 125 Aug 2026, 06:22current

    First published.

  2. Version 125 Aug 2026, 06:20current

    First published.

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