SMITHFIELD, Va. — A Smithfield man who was found to have more than 150 homemade pipe bombs, bomb-making equipment, and an unregistered short barrel rifle on his property was sentenced to serve eight years in prison Thursday, according to the Department of Justice.
Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, pleaded guilty in July after initially pleading not guilty to charges of possesion of an unregistered destructive device and possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle.
The FBI began investigating Spafford in 2023.
Previous coverage: Man arrested after FBI finds 150+ 'finished explosive devices' at his Isle of Wight home
The investigation started after a source told authorities Spafford and his friends were allegedly preparing for something Spafford "would not be able to do alone,” court documents stated.
The source also reported Spafford had lost some of his fingers in 2021 while working on explosive devices. Investigators later discovered that in 2021, Spafford had a completely amputated thumb and other partially amputated fingers, as well as scalp lacerations and hearing loss, prosecutors say. He told hospital staff his injuries were from fireworks, but investigators learned they were from a launcher at his property that he had misfired.
“Brad Spafford’s manufacture and stockpiling of explosive devices posed a serious danger to himself and to others,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This sentence, along with Mr. Spafford’s own injuries, should serve as a deterrent to anyone considering the manufacture of homemade explosives.”
Previous coverage:
On Dec. 17, 2024, Spafford was arrested for possessing the rifle. Authorities then raided his rural Isle of Wight property and found a jar of "extraordinarily dangerous explosive material" next to food in the freezer, among other things.
Other items investigators say they found at Spafford's home included the 155 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which they said were likely homemade pipe bombs. Some of the explosives were labeled with words like “lethal” and “concussion.” Authorities also uncovered bomb-making equipment, riot gear and empty grenade canisters.
According to court documents, a number of the pipe bombs had to be detonated on-site because of how unstable they were. Neighbors told News 3 they heard this happening "all day long."
Authorities said the finished explosive devices at Spafford's home was possibly the largest supply ever seized in FBI history.
