A man from Isle of Wight County, Virginia, has pleaded guilty to owning an unregistered short‑barrel rifle and an unregistered destructive device, The Associated Press (AP) reported on Friday. Brad Spafford, who appeared in a federal court in Norfolk, faces up to ten years in prison on each count. Sentencing is set for December. Federal agents seized about 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices from Spafford’s home last December. Prosecutors told the court the haul was “the largest number of finished explosives” the FBI has ever found, AP said. How the case began The investigation started in 2023 after a friend who is also in law enforcement told authorities that Spafford was gathering weapons and ammunition. According to court papers quoted by AP, the informant said Spafford used pictures of then‑President Joe Biden for shooting practice and said he “believed political assassinations should be brought back”. Two weeks after the 2024 attempt on Donald Trump’s life, Spafford told the informant, “Bro, I hope the shooter doesn’t miss Kamala,” AP reported, citing court documents. On the same day he said he was training for a sniper qualification at a local range. When officers searched the house they found a volatile explosive compound stored in a garage freezer next to food items. Devices were also discovered in a backpack marked “#NoLivesMatter,” AP said. Detention and background Spafford has been in custody since his arrest. In January, US District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen refused bail, writing that Spafford had “shown the capacity for extreme danger,” and noting he had lost three fingers in a 2021 incident with homemade explosives. Defence lawyer Jeffrey Swartz argued in January that Spafford has a steady job as a machinist, no previous convictions, and supports his wife and two young daughters. Swartz told the court, “He purchased a home. He’s raised his children. He’s in a great marriage. He has a fantastic job, and those things all still exist for him,” AP reported. Prosecutors said they acted fast once Spafford said on a recorded wiretap in October 2024 that a volatile explosive was in his freezer. Spafford originally denied the charges but changed his plea to guilty on Friday.
