FACT CHECK: Mugshot Shared Via Facebook Post Unrelated To Alleged Tesla Vandalism

An image shared on Facebook claims to show a mugshot of a young male who was allegedly arrested for “destroying personal property and Tesla buildings.”

Verdict: False

The mugshot shows a 19-year-old male who was arrested for allegedly attempting sexual assault at a party in 2016, according to the Daily Mail and the Sheboygan Press, respectively.

Fact Check:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company is “not unscathed” in relation to President Donald Trump’s auto tariffs, according to Reuters. Musk made the statement in a recent post shared on X, the outlet reported.

The Facebook image, which has received over 100 likes as of writing, claims to show a mugshot of a young male who was allegedly arrested for “destroying personal property and Tesla buildings.”

“TERR0RlST – Destroying personal property and #Tesla buildings is all fun and games for #Democrats until they get caught and face 20 years in the slammer,” the image’s caption reads. The image features a mugshot of a young white male who is wearing a plaid shirt. Text superimposed on the mugshot reads, “SHEBOYGAN COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPT Number:  96793.” The male appears to be crying in the photo.

The claim is false. Check Your Fact conducted a reverse image search and found the mugshot referenced in a June 2016 article from the Daily Mail. According to the Daily Mail, the mugshot shows Anthony Zingale, a 19-year-old man from Wisconsin who was arrested for allegedly attempting a sexual assault at a party. The article cited local outlet the Sheboygan Press, which also published Zingale’s mugshot. Neither article references any connection to Tesla.

Likewise, Musk does not appear to have publicly commented on the claim via his verified X account @elonmusk. Tesla has not issued a press release or a social media statement addressing the claim made via the Facebook post, either.

In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On March 24, Lead Stories debunked the claim, citing the same article from the Sheboygan Press. (RELATED: No, Pete Hegseth Didn’t Message His Signal Group A Picture Of Carrier Locations)

Check Your Fact has contacted the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department for comment.