A California warehouse employee faces up to life in prison after allegedly torching a $650 million distribution facility while filming himself and invoking the name of healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, federal authorities announced Friday.

Half-Billion Dollar Inferno Captured on Video

Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland, California, stands accused of intentionally setting multiple fires at a 1.2 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark warehouse in Ontario, approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Federal prosecutors say Abdulkarim filmed himself igniting pallets of paper products while repeatedly shouting, “All you had to do was pay us enough to live,” before posting the videos to social media. The final video showed flames engulfing the facility as the suspect declared, “There goes your inventory.” Initial damage assessments placed the paper products inside at $500 million, with the building itself valued at $150 million.

Bill Essayli, first assistant United States attorney, revealed that Abdulkarim worked for NFI Industries, a third-party distribution company handling Kimberly-Clark products. Approximately 20 people were inside the warehouse when the fires began Tuesday morning, though no injuries were reported. Authorities say Abdulkarim sent a text message to a coworker an hour after the blaze, stating: “All you had to do was pay us enough to live. Pay us more of the value WE bring. Not corporate. Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”

Suspect Compares Himself to Accused CEO Killer

During a phone call with investigators, Abdulkarim allegedly compared himself directly to Luigi Mangione, the man charged with assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. Essayli characterized the suspect’s motivation as “hostility to capitalism and corporations,” marking the incident as ideologically driven violence against private enterprise. The comparison to Mangione raises concerns about copycat attacks inspired by anti-corporate sentiment spreading across social media platforms.

Maximum Penalties Ahead

Federal authorities charged Abdulkarim with arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce, carrying a five-year mandatory minimum sentence and up to 20 years in federal prison. California prosecutors added seven state charges, including one count of aggravated arson with special circumstances for damages exceeding $10.1 million. San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson confirmed this charge alone carries a penalty of 10 years to life in state prison. Abdulkarim faced arraignment on the state charges Friday afternoon as investigators continue examining the full extent of the destruction.