Bradley Neal Crowder, 23, of Austin, Texas, admitted in court that he helped build the firebombs, but he didn't say -- nor did prosecutors ask -- what he intended to use them for. He also said that his co-defendant, David McKay, was part of the scheme.
Crowder and McKay were scheduled to go on trial Jan. 26 for allegedly possessing the Molotov cocktails during the convention in St. Paul in September. The two men were part of a group of protesters who came to Minnesota from Texas to be part of the demonstrations and the convention.
The U.S. attorney's office claims the two men built the Molotov cocktails because they were angry that police had seized a trailer filled with riot shields they'd built and hauled to Minnesota. They were allegedly going to use the firebombs on law enforcement cars parked in a lot near Xcel Energy Center, the convention site.
Unbeknownst to them, though, a member of their group* had become an FBI informant. When police raided the St. Paul home the men were staying in, they found eight of the explosive devices in the basement.
Crowder pleaded guilty to a single count of possessing unregistered firearms, which is what federal law considers a Molotov cocktail to be. He could have faced 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
But under the plea agreement worked out with federal prosecutors, he could cut that time to as little as 30 months and the fine to as little as $6,000. Much depends on the pre-sentence investigation ordered by Chief U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis and whether the judge accepts the defense contention that Crowder played a "minor role" in the alleged scheme.
Prosecutors said today that they oppose the "minor role" argument, and if the judge agrees with them, Crowder could face up to 46 months in prison and up to a $75,000 fine.
No date for sentencing has been set, and McKay's trial is still scheduled to begin later this month.
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