A federal judge has ruled that a Virginia man accused of stockpiling the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history and using President Joe Biden’s photo for target practice must remain in jail until trial. The judge stated that the accused individual has demonstrated a capacity for extreme danger.
Brad Spafford, who is 36 years old, has been detained on a federal firearms charge due to his alleged possession of an unregistered short-barrel rifle. According to prosecutors, there is a possibility that he may face additional charges related to the explosives, including the ones discovered in a backpack labeled “#nolivesmatter.”
According to court documents, Spafford, a father of two young daughters, kept a highly unstable explosive material in his garage freezer, right next to everyday items like “Hot Pockets and frozen corn on the cob.”
In a ruling issued late Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen in Norfolk acknowledged that Spafford had suffered the loss of three fingers in a 2021 accident involving homemade explosives. This fact, she pointed out, was not disputed by his defense attorneys.
According to Allen, Mr. Spafford has expressed his disbelief in government regulation regarding firearms and deliberately ignored the registration requirements for short-barrel rifles. Allen further states that the court has doubts about Mr. Spafford’s willingness to comply with any imposed conditions of release.
The defense attorneys contended that the authorities have not presented any evidence indicating that Spafford had intentions of carrying out violence. Furthermore, they highlighted Spafford’s stable employment as a machinist and his clean criminal record to support their argument.
Spafford’s attorneys also raised doubts about the usability of the explosive devices discovered on his property. They argued that the devices had to be rigged by professionally trained explosive technicians in order to make them explode.
In a recent filing, his defense lawyers argued that there is no evidence in the record to suggest that Mr. Spafford ever made any threats towards anyone. They further dismissed the notion that someone could be in danger due to their political views and comments, deeming it nonsensical.
During Spafford’s detention hearing last week, defense attorney Jeffrey Swartz mentioned that investigators had been gathering information on him since January 2023. Throughout this period, it is important to note that Spafford never made any threats towards anyone.
“And what has he accomplished in those two years?” Swartz asked. “He has bought a house, raised his children, enjoyed a wonderful marriage, and continues to excel in his fantastic job. These aspects of his life remain unchanged.”
According to federal prosecutors, their understanding of the homemade bombs was restricted until the informant paid a visit to Spafford’s residence.
Prosecutors stated that the government took immediate action after the defendant revealed, on a recorded wire, that he had an unstable primary explosive in his freezer in October 2024.
According to court filings, prosecutors stated that over 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices were seized during the search of Spafford’s residence in Isle of Wight County in December.
According to court documents, the authorities discovered the majority of the bombs in a separate garage. Alongside them, they also found various tools and bomb-making materials, such as fuses and fragments of plastic pipe.
Prosecutors have also mentioned that several more pipe bombs were discovered in a backpack in the bedroom of the suspect’s home. The backpack was found completely unsecured. It is worth noting that the suspect shares the house with his wife and children.
The investigation commenced in 2023 after receiving a tip from an informant, as per court documents. The informant, who happened to be a friend and member of law enforcement, revealed that Spafford had been accumulating weapons and ammunition. Furthermore, the informant disclosed that Spafford was using pictures of the president as targets during his shooting practice, expressing his belief that political assassinations should be reinstated, as stated by prosecutors.
Law enforcement officers and bomb technicians conducted an extensive search of the property on December 17th. During the operation, they successfully located a rifle and multiple explosive devices. Notably, some of these devices were labeled as “lethal” and were even found loaded into a wearable vest. To ensure safety, most of the devices were detonated on site instead of being transported. However, a few were preserved for further analysis.
During a recent hearing, federal Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard made the decision to allow Spafford to be placed under house arrest at his mother’s residence. However, he decided to keep Spafford detained until the government presents additional arguments.
Prosecutors admitted that Spafford has not been involved in any evident acts of violence.
In Tuesday’s ruling, Allen emphasized the severity of the threat posed by Spafford to both his own family and the community, describing it as “extreme.” Additionally, Allen highlighted the vast scope of Spafford’s enterprise.
In her statement, the Court acknowledges that there is no previous case of such magnitude to compare with. However, she points out that even in cases involving smaller quantities of destructive devices and other mitigating factors, defendants have been held in detention.
