A southern Utah man was sentenced after vandalizing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement transit van.
Ryan Michael Gaines, 32, of Santa Clara, was sentenced for one federal count of damaging government property. His hearing was held in the U.S. District Court of St. George.
Gaines was first put into custody on April 21, 2025, after being identified as the man attempting to vandalize the parked van three days earlier. The camera footage showed the suspect entering the parking lot, only wearing underwear, a mask and a pair of ski goggles. Gaines then attempted to rip the sideview mirrors off the van, resulting in more than $2,800 in damage.
A citywide search was issued for the suspect’s Jeep during which Gaines was identified as the suspect.
In a search of Gaines’ home, officers recovered a mask and goggles that matched the ones worn by the suspect in the video. Gaines was arrested at his place of work, and state charges were filed. He was released shortly after.
One month after the first arrest, Gaines was indicted for federal charges and arrested again. The case was scheduled for jury trial in August 2025; until that time, the defendant remained on pretrial release.
Since ICE is a federal agency, the vandalism was treated as a federal crime.
Gaines pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted to willfully causing damage to the transit vans. The initial sentence was suggested in court by Prosecutor Brady Wilson, which was 6 months in federal prison, followed by probation. Wilson also went on to say that the vandalism serves as an example of violence and threats towards federal agents tasked with enforcing our immigration laws throughout the country.
Wilson also noted that this was the defendant’s first ever “brush with the law.” Gaines admitted to committing the crime and took accountability for his actions early in the trial, as well as agreeing to pay back the damages.
Ultimately, the court decided to sentence Gaines to three years of probation.
Author: Andrew Streeter
Photo courtesy of Andrew Pinckney, St. George News
Editor: Hannah Clove
news@suunews.net
