PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Federal and local law enforcement officials gathered Wednesday to announce the arrest of a Zephyrhills man accused of making a destructive pipe bomb and selling it.
U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg said the case began on Nov. 1 when 34-year-old James John Hall was sending text messages to someone who had purchased firearms from him before.
Hall shared multiple photos of a pipe bomb he had made at his house, according to the U.S. attorney. The photos reportedly showed three to four plastic jars painted camouflage and taped together with a pipe on top.
In the messages, Hall also reportedly explained that he had considered using the pipe bomb to target someone he was angry with.
“What Hall did not know was the person he was sharing that information with was a confidential source with the Tampa Police Department," Handberg said.
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Tampa police — with the help of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Pasco and Hillsborough County sheriff's offices — coordinated for an undercover detective to meet with Hall the next day.
On Nov. 2, Hall sold the undercover detective the homemade pipe bomb as well as a Glock 17 pistol, according to authorities. The Department of Justice says Hall also told the detective he had materials to make six more of the destructive devices.
ATF bomb technicians safely disassembled the device while Hall was arrested. He faces one count of unlicensed distribution of explosive materials, one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device, and one count of unlawful making of a destructive device.
"These federal charges are serious. The defendant is facing up to 30 years in federal prison," Handberg said.
You can watch the full news conference below.