Man Who Sent Pipe Bombs to Democratic Politicians Gets Serious Prison Time | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's note: This informational nugget was sent to me by Ben Shapiro, who represents the Daily Wire, and since this is one of the most topical news events, it should be published on BCN.

The author of this post is Eric Quintanar.

    The 57-year-old man from Aventura, Florida, who sent homemade pipe bombs to prominent Democrats prior to the 2018 midterm election, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday.

    According to The Associated Press, the man's public defender told the court his client was "obsessed with President Donald Trump and grew to believe Democrats were to blame for damage to his van, which was plastered with Trump stickers and images of crosshairs superimposed over the faces of Trump opponents."

    In total, the pipe bomber (whose name is here withheld per Daily Wire policy) sent 16 devices to prominent Democrats and public figures, according to a March press release from the U.S Southern District of New York.

    "[The man] designed the IEDs for use as weapons and mailed them understanding that they were capable of exploding and causing injuries and property damage," reads the release. "In alphabetical order, [his] intended victims were former Vice President Joseph Biden, Senator Cory Booker, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CNN, Robert De Niro, Senator Kamala Harris, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former President Barack Obama, George Soros, Thomas Steyer, and Representative Maxine Waters."

    All of the devices failed to explode.

    According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff did not believe that the man intended to kill his victims. "He hated his victims, he wished them no good, but he was not so lost as to wish them dead, at least by his own hand," said the judge.

    The man told the judge that he was "beyond so very sorry for what I did." Among the reasons he gave for his lawless actions, the bomber cited mental health issues, steroid abuse, and failure to listen to the "love of my life," his mother.

    "I was in deep denial. I understand now that I have committed a very serious crime," the man told the court. "With all my heart and soul, I feel the pain and suffering of these victims and I will be apologizing to them for the rest of my life."

    The Associated Press notes that the "psychiatric experts who examined [the man] at the request of the defense agreed that steroids influenced his behavior, particularly his delusions and obsessions."

    Ronald Lowy, a lawyer who represented the man on four separate cases dating as far back as 16 years, told reporters last October that his former client "doesn't seem to recognize reality."

    "He would act emotionally and reactively without thinking, he would have trouble articulating concepts, he doesn't live life in a normal way," said Lowy. "He lives out of his vehicle. The signs of mental illness are clearly there. If you're living out of your car for years, you're sick."