‘Fueled by hatred for a neighbor’s race’: Everett man sentenced for blowing up Black couple’s car

An Everett man was sentenced to prison for blowing up his Black neighbors’ car.

Steven Goldstine, 55, will spend five years behind bars for three federal felonies, including a pipe bomb explosion, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington reported via a news release Monday.

“Fueled by hatred for a neighbor’s race, the defendant used a pipe bomb to cause an explosion and destroy property,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, according to the release.

Attorneys believe Goldstine acted on racial hate because, after the bombing, he called the victims to gloat and left a message with racial slurs.

“After years of hateful and violent behavior, Mr. Goldstine is now being sentenced for exploding his neighbors’ car, bragging about it, and leaving an offensive message for the victims,” Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle Field Office stated. “Thankfully, no one was hurt in this incident, which could well have killed someone.”

In September, Goldstine pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a destructive device, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Everett man blows up couple’s car in December 2024

On December 31, 2024, Everett police responded to reports of an explosion in a car parked at an apartment complex, according to the attorney’s office, citing records filed in the case.

The victims told police they suspected Goldstine because of a previous conflict. The day after the explosion, they received a voice message from Goldstine using racial slurs and referencing the explosion.

Law enforcement used surveillance video from the victim’s apartment and nearby businesses to link the bomber to clothing found at Goldstine’s home.

The investigation also led to two other federal crimes, unlawful possession of ammunition and unlawful possession of a firearm. The attorney’s office noted Goldstine is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions for burglary, arson, and possession of stolen property.

More than 700 rounds of illegally possessed ammunition were seized from Goldstine’s home when it was searched following the explosion.

Authorities search Goldstine’s home in 2020

Authorities had previously searched Goldstine’s home after he pointed a gun at protestors in Everett in 2020. During that search, a firearm was seized by law enforcement.

“Goldstine has a deeply troubling history of violence, dating back to several serious convictions for arson in the late ’80s and early ’90s,” prosecutors wrote to the court in asking for a 78-month sentence. “Violence has remained a consistent part of his life over the past five years, from assaulting a neighbor and fighting with police in 2019, to pointing a gun at protestors in 2020, to making death threats on YouTube in 2022, to bombing [the victim’s] car at the end of December 2024.”

U.S. District Judge John Chun ordered Goldstine to be on three years of supervised release following prison, and for one of those years, he ordered Goldstine be on electronic location monitoring.

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