Tennessee Man Federally Indicted for Politically Motivated Arson Under Joint Task Force Vanguard

Tallahassee, Florida – Ian Nathaniel Grice, 28, of Dixon, Tennessee, has been indicted in federal court for arson and interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge. Grice appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for September 21, 2026, at 8:30 am before United States District Court Judge Mark E. Walker in Tallahassee, Florida. If convicted, Grice faces 5 years and up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the arson count. He faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment on the interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise count. The case is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Investigative and Forensic Services. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch. An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This case is part of the nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative, which is a White House-directed, interagency effort to integrate federal, state, and local partners in protecting First Amendment rights while targeting individuals and organizations engaged in political violence and is led by the investigative and prosecutorial Joint Task Force Vanguard. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .