BURLINGTON — A 35-year-old man has denied a federal charge accusing him of setting a fire to the entryway of the Burlington office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders earlier this month.
Shant Michael Soghomonian, who previously lived in California and has more recently been living in Chittenden County hotels, appeared Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Burlington for an arraignment.
He pleaded not guilty to a charge made in an indictment returned last week against him alleging that on April 5 he “maliciously damaged, and attempted to damage and destroy” the building at 1 Church St.
Soghomonian, who has been in custody since his April 7 arrest, was taken back to jail following the hearing.
Mary Nerino, a federal public defender representing Soghomonian, argued at a hearing last week for her client’s release. However, Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle sided with the prosecution’s request to hold Soghomonian in custody while the case against him remains pending. In making that decision, Doyle cited Soghomonian’s lack of a permanent address as well as his “serious mental health history” that included reporting in the past that “drones are reading his mind.”
No motive for the fire has been revealed in court filings or through statements made by the attorneys in court.
During his arraignment Tuesday, Soghomonian stood next to Nerino at the defense table and answered several questions from the judge indicating that he understood the nature of the court proceeding and the charge against him.
He told the judge that he had graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree and then attended one semester of law school, but provided no further details.
Soghomonian, wearing a dark green prison uniform, also told the judge during the hearing that he was not under the influence of any drugs or substances that would impair his ability to take part in the hearing.
The fire took place in the entryway leading to Sanders’ Senate office in the historic downtown building. The senator was not in the office at the time, and none of his seven staffers who were in the building were physically injured, according to charging documents.
The building, which is home to other businesses, including a law firm and a bank, did sustain water damage, and the door leading to the senator’s office was charred.
If convicted of the offense, Soghomonian faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, with the possibility of up to 20 years behind bars.
