Florida Attorney Sentenced to Over Eight Years for Attempted Chinese Embassy Bombing in D.C.
A Florida attorney and U.S. Army veteran was sentenced Friday to 102 months in federal prison for attempting to detonate an explosive device near the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and for bombing a sculpture in San Antonio, Texas, in separate incidents in 2022 and 2023.
Christopher Rodriguez, 45, of Panama City, Florida, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to charges of damaging property occupied by a foreign government, malicious damage to federal property using explosives, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg ordered Rodriguez to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court records, Rodriguez traveled from Florida to Northern Virginia in September 2023, carrying a rifle and 15 pounds of explosive materials. After purchasing supplies including a black backpack, nitrile gloves, and a burner cell phone along the way, he arrived in Washington, D.C., on September 24.
In the early morning hours, Rodriguez placed an explosive-laden backpack near the outer perimeter of the Chinese Embassy and attempted to detonate it by shooting at it with a rifle. His shots missed the device, which failed to explode. Authorities later recovered the backpack, along with bullet fragments and shell casings. Forensic analysis linked DNA from the backpack to Rodriguez, connecting him to a prior 2021 arrest in California where he was found in possession of firearms and explosive materials.
Court documents also detailed Rodriguez’s involvement in a 2022 bombing incident in San Antonio. Between November 5 and 7 of that year, he rented a vehicle in Pensacola, Florida, and drove to Texas. Surveillance footage showed him scaling an eight-foot fence around 2:25 a.m. on November 7 to access a courtyard containing the steel sculpture "Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin’s Head."
Rodriguez placed two canisters of explosive material at the base of the sculpture and used a rifle to detonate them, causing significant damage estimated at $325,000.
Authorities arrested Rodriguez on November 4, 2023, in Lafayette, Louisiana, and he has remained in custody since. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, with assistance from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies across several states.
Rodriguez’s prosecution was led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with additional contributions from legal teams in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.
While no injuries were reported in either incident, officials emphasized the seriousness of the offenses and the potential for harm. The sentencing marks the conclusion of a multi-agency effort to hold Rodriguez accountable for the attacks.