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Disgruntled worker invokes Luigi Mangione in $500M warehouse inferno he filmed in anti-capitalist rage: feds
A disgruntled Inland Empire employe accused of causing $500 million in damage invoked Luigi Mangione as he filmed himself torching a warehouse as he railed against wages, authorities said.
Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland, California, is charged with deliberately setting the April 7 inferno that destroyed a 1.2 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark distribution center in Ontario. He pleaded not guilty Monday to federal and state charges, authorities said.
According to a Department of Justice criminal complaint, Abdulkarim, who worked at the facility through a third-party logistics provider, filmed himself setting multiple pallets of paper goods on fire in the early morning hours.
In the video, he allegedly complained about wages, saying, “If you’re not going to pay us enough to [expletive] live… at least pay us enough not to do this,” according to the DOJ affidavit.
MAN IN CUSTODY FOR ALLEGEDLY THROWING MOLOTOV COCKTAILS INTO LA FEDERAL BUILDING, DOCS SHOW
Federal prosecutors say the flames quickly spread, collapsing the roof and leveling the entire facility, which stored household products like Kleenex and Cottonelle.
Investigators allege Abdulkarim later bragged about the destruction in texts and phone calls, including one message that read, “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” while railing against corporate profits and shareholders.
In a separate call, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Abdulkarim compared himself to Mangione — the suspect accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“Luigi popped that muther——,” Abdulkarim said, according to the federal complaint, adding “a lot of people are going to understand.”
Fox News contributor and former FBI special agent Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital that Abdulkarim seems to have used similar tactics as Mangione, calling it the “Luigi effect.”
“Luigi garnered a substantial amount of attention and empathy from many because of his ‘cause’ as a justification for his grievance,” she said. “Several are now copying him to one degree or another in an effort to gain that same level of attention and hero status.”
Abdulkarim “believes he was speaking and acting out on behalf of the American people” as he ranted about workers being paid enough to live.
“Chamel was proud to have cost over $1 billion to the company,” Parker said. “It is a troubling time in our society when offenders will go to all lengths no matter how destructive or evil to prove a point for their cause.
“I refer to it as the ‘Luigi effect’ where offenders have learned to focus attention on their grievance through violence due to the sensationalization from online platforms and social media. Law enforcement and specifically the FBI will be digging into his behaviors and what led him down the path to violence. Turning to violence to settle a grievance is never the answer. He chose to carry out these awful crimes but he will not choose the consequence.”
Prosecutors allege Abdulkarim acted “willfully, maliciously, and with premeditation” when he set the fire, conduct they say was carried out under circumstances likely to cause injury and massive property destruction, according to a San Bernardino County felony complaint.
The complaint charges him with aggravated arson, a top-tier felony, along with multiple additional counts of arson of a structure tied to the same blaze.
Authorities say the fire caused losses far exceeding $10 million, a key threshold that elevates the severity of the charge, while federal officials estimate total damage at roughly $500 million.
MASSIVE SIX-ALARM BLAZE ENGULFS CALIFORNIA WAREHOUSE, EMPLOYEE DETAINED
“America is founded on free enterprise and capitalism… Anyone who attacks our values, our way of life, our system… we’re gonna come after aggressively,” Essayli said.
Abdulkarim was arrested about two miles from the scene shortly after the fire broke out. Roughly 175 firefighters responded to the six-alarm blaze, which is considered one of the most destructive warehouse fires in the region. No injuries were reported.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson blasted the alleged crime, calling arson “a real head-scratcher” and warning it puts lives, jobs and commerce at risk.
“I do not understand somebody… to displace people from their jobs, to ruin commerce, to get in the way of labor, to put people in physical harm,” Anderson said.
Abdulkarim is charged federally with arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce and faces multiple state felony counts that could significantly increase his prison exposure.
If convicted on the federal charge alone, he would face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have also signaled the case involves aggravating factors, including the scale of destruction and potential danger to others.
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James Comer raises felony questions over Ilhan Omar’s finances after disclosure discrepancy
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is raising questions about possible felony conduct with Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s finances after a glaring discrepancy between an initial disclosure listing up to $30 million in net worth and a revised filing showing less than $100,000.
“Who makes a multimillion-dollar mistake on their financial disclosure form?” Comer asked Monday on “Hannity.”
“Either her accountant went to one of those ‘Quality Learing Centers’ in Minnesota, or she lied about it,” he continued, mocking an allegedly fraudulent Minneapolis daycare whose sign was notoriously misspelled.
“If she lied about it, that’s a felony.”
COMER WARNS WALZ ABSENCE AT MINNESOTA FRAUD HEARING WOULD BE ‘ADMISSION TO GUILT’ BY GOVERNOR
The remarks come after an amended disclosure showed Omar and her husband’s assets were between $18,004 and $95,000, a sharp drop from an earlier disclosure that estimated their holdings between $6 million and $30 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The sharp dropoff drew scrutiny from Republicans and a congressional watchdog.
Omar’s office said the congresswoman is not a millionaire and blamed a major accounting error for the discrepancy.
MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS VOW NEW CRACKDOWN AFTER $1B FRAUD MELTDOWN THEY SAY WALZ LET SPIRAL
“The amended disclosure confirms what we’ve said all along: The congresswoman is not a millionaire,” Omar spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers told the Journal, adding that the filing was corrected “as soon as the discrepancy was identified.”
Her attorney also pushed back on allegations of misconduct, saying it is common for lawmakers to rely on accountants when preparing financial disclosures.
“While the error is, of course, unfortunate, there is nothing untoward, and nothing illegal has occurred,” the attorney said in part.
JEFFRIES DECLINES TO BREAK WITH INDICTED DEMOCRAT AFTER ETHICS PANEL’S GUILTY VERDICT
Fox News Digital previously reached out to Omar’s office for additional comment regarding the matter but did not receive a response.
Republicans have seized on the incident, criticizing Omar and speculating that fraud could be at play.
“If she made a mistake, [she never explained] how the mistake happened. It’s not possible,” Comer said.
“You review that financial disclosure form. Before you hit enter, you enter all the assets in, and then it pops up and you review it, and you hit it again, so it’s highly unlikely that she made the mistake.
“This isn’t going to go away from her, so we’re going to continue to try to push for answers and see if her name pops up in any of these frauds that Vice President Vance and the House Oversight Committee are detecting in Minnesota,” he added.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., criticized Omar as a “complete fraud” over the weekend, amplifying the Republican voices critiquing the development.
“Quite frankly, if she is discovered to be involved in any of this fraud personally, that she benefited from it, even by her actions of promoting it and trying to resist investigations, she should be held accountable to the fullest extent,” he said.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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US updates travel advisory for Caribbean country, cites crime and terrorism concerns
→ The State Department updated a travel advisory warning Americans to reconsider visiting a Caribbean destination amid crime and terrorism concerns.
→ A popular European city proposed a nightly tourist tax aimed at raising millions to address overtourism.
→ What was once a go-to cheap escape is now raising eyebrows for reasons beyond price.
→ A viral incident showed airport lounge passengers hoarding food and leaving messes amid overcrowding issues.
→ An airline debuted bunk-style sleeping pods with four-hour access priced at nearly $500 on long-haul flights.
→ A cruise startup began accepting dogs and cats onboard, reigniting debate as most major lines continue to ban non-service animals.
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→ Archaeologists uncovered hundreds of medieval cannonballs at a construction site in a coastal city.
→ A 2,000-year-old Roman shipwreck was discovered with cargo still clustered on the lakebed where it sank.
→ The Library of Congress identified a lost 1897 film featuring one of cinema’s earliest robot characters.
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Health officials issued brown water advisories after storm runoff contaminated coastal waters with bacteria and debris, raising risks for swimmers.
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Byron Donalds cracks down on persistent border blind spot leaving US vulnerable to overstays
FIRST ON FOX: Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds introduced legislation that would require biometric tracking of every entry and exit from the United States, as part of a Republican push to crack down on visa overstays and fraudulent immigration documents.
With illegal crossings down sharply under President Donald Trump’s second term, Republicans are shifting toward the next phase of immigration enforcement — tracking visa overstays and closing documentation loopholes. Donalds’ bill aims to force full nationwide use and federal oversight of the biometric entry-exit system.
Donalds told Fox News Digital exclusively he introduced the legislation on Monday.
“Thanks to President Trump’s decisive actions, our borders are more secure than they have been in decades. We are now moving to finish the job by introducing the Reform Immigration Through Biometrics Act, which provides the oversight needed to ensure every entry and exit is fully verified,” Donalds told Fox News Digital.
FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS ICE PARTNERSHIP ONLY THE BEGINNING IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRACKDOWN
The bill would close gaps to ensure full coverage at every port, provide system flow updates and identify what is “slowing” it down by requiring DHS to report to Congress. The biometric data system collects fingerprints, facial images and iris scans.
Immigration reform is a central focus of the second Trump administration, with officials shifting attention toward internal tracking and enforcement gaps, not just border crossings.
The biometric entry-exit system was first introduced a decade ago, following a 2004 recommendation from the 9/11 Commission to strengthen national security through a comprehensive tracking method.
HOUSE GOP BILL COULD TRIGGER SELF-DEPORTATION FOR SOMALI REFUGEES AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE
Previous administrations failed to fully implement the system across all ports of entry, leaving it incomplete. A final rule issued in December 2025 now mandates a nationwide rollout.
Donalds’ legislation aims to ensure it is fully executed this time by holding DHS accountable.
“The border has been secured, but the work is far from over,” said Donalds in a press release. “Visa overstays and fraudulent documentation remain a large piece of the overall illegal immigration puzzle that needs to be addressed.”
Data from the Border Patrol cited by Pew Research found there were 237,538 migrant encounters at the Mexican border in 2025. It is the lowest number since Richard Nixon was president in 1970 when 201,780 were encountered.
Donalds, a candidate for Florida governor to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, said he anticipates “swift passage” of the bill.
“Republicans are steadfast in our commitment to the mandate entrusted to us by the American people,” he told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
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