Former CalRecycle Employee Mei Lu Sentenced to 3 Years for Arson and Firearms Charges
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announced on October 15 that Mei Lu, 55, of Sacramento, was sentenced that day by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to three years in prison and ordered to pay $271,708.66 in restitution to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). Lu had worked at CalRecycle until 2023.
According to court documents, on January 29, 2024, Lu set fire to a vehicle and recycling equipment at a Sacramento recycling center. On September 4, 2024, she set fire to a storage unit in Elk Grove, and on September 10, 2024, she set fire to a storage unit in Rancho Cordova.
On October 2, 2024, probation officers searching Lu's home found more than 10 firearms and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, including assault weapons, suppressors, a short-barreled rifle and large-capacity magazines. As a convicted felon, Lu was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Lu pleaded guilty on March 17, 2025, to arson and to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. On June 18, 2025, a jury convicted her of a second felon-in-possession count. The three-year sentence covers those convictions.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced the sentence; Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Sacramento 的 Robert T. Matsui 联邦法院大楼（加州东区联邦地区法院所在地）夜景。Tony Webster 摄，CC BY 2.0，经维基共享资源。Photo: The Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse in Sacramento at night. Photo by Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
