Law enforcement personnel in 2022 stand watch in front of public art that was the target of a bombing attempt. Credit: Sanford Nowlin
A Florida man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to blow up a statue of Vladimir Lenin in downtown San Antonio and the Chinese embassy in the District of Columbia, Texas Public Radio reports.

Christopher Rodriguez, 45, a licensed attorney and Army veteran in Panama City, Florida pleaded guilty in August to the bombing attempts. He received his sentence on Friday.

The statue of Lenin’s head is displayed adjacent to the grounds of Texas Public Radio’s downtown headquarters at 321 W. Commerce St. That bombing attempt, which occurred on Nov. 7, 2022, was captured on security cameras. TPR posted the footage to Twitter, stating that the FBI, SAPD and SAFD were investigating the incident.

Rodriguez drove from Pensacola, Florida to San Antonio to place a couple of explosive canisters at the base of the statue in the early morning hours and shot them with a rifle, according to federal authorities. The explosion failed to demolish the statue but did cause $325,000 in damages, TPR reports. The satirical statue, titled “Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin’s Head,” is a traveling piece that has been installed in cities throughout the country.

Rodriguez resurfaced a year later when he attempted to bomb the D.C. embassy for the People’s Republic of China in September 2023, according to the feds. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) officers arrested Rodriguez on Nov. 4, 2023 in Lafayette, Louisiana, according to a report from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty to all three counts including damaging property occupied by a foreign government, explosive materials — malicious damage to federal property, and receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device).

In addition to the 8½ years in prison, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg ordered Rodriguez to serve three years of supervised release once he has served his federal prison term.
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This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.