Georgia prisoner mailed bombs to D.C., Alaska court

A man serving a life sentence for kidnapping and other crimes while in a Georgia prison built two bombs that he mailed to a District of Columbia office building as well as the palace federal courthouse and building in Anchorage, Alaska, prosecutors say.

Accused bomb maker David Cassady, 55, allegedly mailed the two explosive devices to his Tattnall County jail on Jan. 24, 2020, according to an indictment issued by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Statesboro. , Georgia.

The bomb that was sent to Washington, DC, was sent to the Bond Building, which notably houses offices of the Department of Justice.

The indictment alleges that Cassady manufactured and sent the bombs with the intent “to maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire or explosive, a building in whole or in part belonging or owned by, or leased to, the United States,” and “created a substantial risk of injury to any person.”

Neither bomb exploded.

Cassady is charged with one count of making an unregistered destructive device; two counts of sending a destructive device; and two counts of attempted malicious use of an explosive.

“Protecting our personnel and facilities is a fundamental role of our office and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg, whose office is prosecuting Cassady. “We will also take action against inmates who seek to commit crimes and harm the public behind bars.”

Barry Paschal, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, declined to comment when asked to explain the more than four-year delay between Cassady, who allegedly sent the bombs, and his indictment in the case.

Paschal said he could not comment on details of the case beyond those contained in the indictment.

This charging document did not say how Cassady allegedly made the bombs while he was locked up in prison, the size of the devices, how he sent them from the prison and why he chose the DOJ headquarters as well as the palace federal courthouse and the Anchorage building as targets.

CNBC requested comment from the Georgia Department of Corrections, which runs that state’s prisons.

Cassady has a lengthy criminal record dating back to the late 1980s, when he was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of six counts of first-degree forgery.

Department of Corrections records show he began serving his final stint in prison in 1993, after being convicted of kidnapping, aggravated sodomy, impersonating an officer and false imprisonment.

While in jail in Tattnal County, he was convicted of crimes in 2019, including terroristic threats and acts, making false statements, gang participation and conspiracy, records show.