NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A Smithfield man was sentenced Thursday to eight years in federal prison for possessing more than 150 improvised explosive devices – Largest quantity of finished explosives in FBI history – He also owned an unregistered short-barreled rifle, according to court records.
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Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, pleaded guilty to the charges in July in Norfolk federal court. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A year later he was sentenced He was first detained at his home in Isle of Wight County. This comes after a two-year investigation.
According to court documents, Spafford was rushed to the emergency room on July 31, 2021, with an amputation of his right thumb, partial amputation of his right middle and index fingers, hearing loss, and scalp lacerations. He lied to the hospital that his injuries were caused by fireworks, but investigators later determined the injuries were caused by a transmitter fire at a family member’s rural property, where Spafford often detonated the explosives he made.
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Law enforcement arrested Spafford on Dec. 17, 2024, on a charge of possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
Authorities searched his property and vehicle in Smithfield and found an unregistered short-barreled rifle and ammunition compatible with the rifle.
Agents also found approximately 155 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which appeared to be homemade pipe bombs. Some IEDs had handwritten markings on them, including “fatal” and “concussion.”
“Brad Spafford’s creation and storage of explosive devices posed a serious danger to himself and others,” Lindsey Harrigan, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement. “This sentence, coupled with Mr. Spafford’s own injuries, should serve as a deterrent to anyone considering making homemade explosives.”
Dominic Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, said this case reflects the serious consequences of illegal possession of dangerous weapons and explosive devices that threaten public safety.
Investigators said analysis of propellants in some of the devices could cause property damage, personal injury or death. Authorities also seized bomb-making equipment, riot control equipment, tanner mines, two empty grenade cans, an improvised mine, precursor chemicals for explosive materials and multiple rounds of homemade ammunition.
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