A Long Beach man, Wrackkie Quiogue, was sentenced on May 6 to two and a half years in federal prison after admitting to possessing a Molotov cocktail during an anti-immigration enforcement protest in downtown Los Angeles last year.
Quiogue, age 28, received the sentence from United States District Judge Anne Hwang. He pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device and has been held in federal custody since June 2025.
The case stems from protests that followed immigration enforcement operations across the greater Los Angeles area in June 2025. While many demonstrators protested peacefully, some engaged in violent actions. On June 8, during a protest near the Civic Center area of downtown Los Angeles, police reported that rocks and bottles were thrown at officers. The Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly after these incidents.
During this event, police observed Quiogue holding a glass bottle containing ethanol with a yellow cloth soaked in ethanol as a wick—constituting a Molotov cocktail—and carrying a lighter. As officers approached him out of concern he might ignite and throw the device at law enforcement personnel or others present, Quiogue attempted to flee but was subdued and arrested after throwing the unlit device into the air.
Prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum: “Unlike many of the individuals in the crowd, who were gathered to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights and protest immigration enforcement operations, [Quiogue] came prepared to instigate violence and inflict harm on the law enforcement officers assigned to protect the Roybal Federal Building.” They added: “[Quiogue]’s premeditated actions endangered the law enforcement officers protecting Roybal Federal Building and the civilians who gathered to peacefully protest.”
Quiogue admitted he knowingly possessed an unregistered destructive device as required by federal law. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated with help from LAPD. Assistant United States Attorney David C. Lachman prosecuted this case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California serves more than 19 million residents across seven counties and works with federal, state and local partners on public safety matters; it also supports community outreach through victim assistance programs according to its official website.
