A court in Wisconsin has sentenced a 20-year-old man to seven years in prison following an arson attack outside the office of Republican Representative Glenn Grothman, an incident that occurred amidst the debate over legislation involving the TikTok application.
The defendant, Caiden Stachowicz, a resident of Menasha, Wisconsin, will also serve seven years of extended supervision after his release, according to the ruling by Judge Tricia Walker in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court.
Incident followed TikTok controversy
According to investigation records, the arson occurred in the early morning of January 19, 2025, at Representative Grothman's office in Fond du Lac, approximately 55 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
Police said Stachowicz was present near the scene when authorities arrived to handle the fire, similar to several recent high-profile incidents in Wisconsin.
According to court documents, the suspect poured gasoline on the front area of the building and an electrical box, then ignited the fire.
No one was injured in the incident.
Motive related to TikTok bill
During the investigation, Stachowicz told police that his actions were related to his disagreement with Representative Grothman's stance on the TikTok bill.
The Republican representative had voted in favor of the 2024 bill requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations of TikTok.
The deadline for the sale of the app coincided with the date of the arson.
Apology in court
Before sentencing, Stachowicz read an apology statement addressed to:
- Representative Grothman
- Firefighters and police
- The building owner
The defendant said he takes full responsibility for his actions and does not expect forgiveness.
Defense lawyer's perspective
The defense attorney stated that the incident occurred while his client was experiencing a mental health crisis.
According to the lawyer, Stachowicz said he attempted to ensure no one was inside the building when the incident took place.
TikTok situation in the U.S.
TikTok briefly suspended operations in the U.S. before service was restored. Social media political controversies often lead to sharp public reactions. Subsequently, President Trump issued several executive orders to maintain the platform's operations.
Recently, TikTok also completed a deal to establish a U.S.-based version of the application.
