Concord Man Gets 18 Years For Scheme To Firebomb Enemies' Homes

CONCORD, CA — A Concord man was sentenced this week to 18 years in prison for conspiracy to commit arson in connection with a scheme to firebomb the residences of several people on his enemies list, federal authorities announced.

A federal grand jury in San Francisco found David Jah, 47, guilty in May of conspiracy to commit arson after he was indicted on the charge in October 2020 by a federal grand jury.

Evidence at the trial showed Jah orchestrated these attacks in an attempt to punish and intimidate those he held responsible for removing him from his childhood home in the Richmond District of San Francisco, prosecutors said Tuesday in a news release.

The evidence showed Jah conspired with Kristopher Alexis-Clark, 27, of Vallejo, and Dennis Williams, 41, of Fairfield, to conduct multiple firebombings targeting the residences of people on Jah's enemies list:

• Two attorneys involved in the sale of his childhood home, to which Jah objected.
• The attorney who prosecuted the forcible detainer action removing Jah from his childhood home.
• The purchaser of Jah's childhood home.
• Jah's former neighbor at that home, with whom Jah had had several disagreements.
• A San Francisco Deputy City Attorney who represented the San Francisco Police Department in an excessive force lawsuit filed by Jah's son.

Prosecutors presented evidence that showed the conspiracy started in October 2018 when Jah met a prostitute on a mobile dating application, who put him in touch with Alexis-Clark. Jah then provided the enemies list to Alexis-Clark, who recruited Williams to join the scheme.

According to text messages found on Jah’s phone, Jah offered them $800 to $5,000 to carry out these attacks.

Over the next three weeks, Alexis-Clark and Williams drove by three of the homes on Jah’s enemies list in the middle of the night and attempted to throw Molotov cocktails through their windows.

Hours before the first attack, Jah instructed an associate of his to send a text message to Alexis-Clark that read: “Light it up, call when done completely.”

Shortly thereafter, on Oct. 21, 2018, Alexis-Clark and Williams mistakenly firebombed the next-door neighbor of one of the intended victims by throwing a lit Molotov cocktail through the front window of their home, setting the living room on fire.

Then, on Oct. 31, 2018, all three co-conspirators met in a casino in Pacheco to discuss further attacks. A few days later, on Nov. 3, 2018, Alexis-Clark and Williams firebombed the homes of two more victims.

Aside from the three arson attacks carried out by Alexis-Clark and Williams, the jury heard evidence of two additional prior Molotov cocktail attacks against people on Jah’s enemies list.

Federal prosecutors requested the court also take into consideration evidence that between March 2016 and October 2018, Jah orchestrated four other arson attacks —for a total nine arson attacks — as well as two drive-by shootings at addresses throughout the Bay Area, including in San Francisco, Lafayette, Danville and Oakland.

In addition to 18 years in prison, U.S. District Judge William Alsup also sentenced Jah to 3 years of supervised release. Jah has been in federal custody since January 2019 and began serving his prison term immediately following Tuesday's sentencing.

According to the government, no one was seriously hurt, but the absence of physical injuries was "solely due to the incompetence of the men [Jah] hired to carry out these attacks."

Alexis-Clark and Williams both have pleaded guilty to, but have not yet been sentenced for, crimes regarding their respective roles in the scheme, prosecutors said.

The cases against Jah, Alexis-Clark and Williams resulted from an investigation by the ATF and FBI with help of the San Francisco, Vallejo, Lafayette, Tiburon and Danville police departments.

"David Jah conspired to use extreme levels of violence to intimidate and retaliate against his perceived enemies," said Craig Fair, FBI Special Agent In Charge. "Thanks to the collaboration between the FBI, ATF, and our local law enforcement partners, we were able to put a stop to these violent attacks."

Patrick Gorman, ATF San Francisco special agent in charge, was thankful no one was seriously injured or killed as a result of these crimes.

"This sentencing will undoubtedly send a message to anyone who considers conducting these types of violent acts that they will not be tolerated," Gorman said.

Acting Northern California Division U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds said the safety of the community is of utmost importance.

"When Mr. Jah was unable to achieve his objectives in court, he turned to violence," Hinds said. "That is never acceptable. Upholding the rule of law and the safety of the community is of the utmost importance, which is why we will continue to aggressively investigate and punish those who attempt to impede justice through violent intimidation."