Tampa, Florida – Trang Johnny Nha Phan (34, Sarasota) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle to eight years in federal prison for attempted arson of federal property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Phan pleaded guilty on June 2, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2025, a law enforcement officer saw a fire ignite on the front of an M60A3 Full Tracked Combat Tank displayed as a war memorial outside a VFW facility in Sarasota. The VFW was open, with customers inside. The officer saw Phan walking away from the tank toward his vehicle. Officers recovered a white spray-painted glass liquor bottle and burned paper towels that smelled of gasoline. Phan’s fingerprints were found on a spray-paint canister and his DNA was found on the bottle. A destructive device expert with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concluded that the bottle and paper towel wick constituted a Molotov cocktail and a destructive device. The device failed because the bottle did not break on impact.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Whitney Mackay and Adam W. McCall.