SACO — A local man who pleaded guilty to making a bomb and then selling it to an undercover federal agent was sentenced Tuesday at U.S. District Court to 27 months in federal prison.
Michael Rickett, 23, of Saco, will also serve three years of supervised release for selling an unregistered destructive device, a bomb, in July 2017.
Rickett was arrested on Dec. 12, 2018, and pleaded guilty to the charge on Feb. 21.
According to an affidavit on file at the court, a concerned citizen contacted the Saco Police Department on July 10, 2017, and said Rickett had solicited them to purchase an explosive device.
On July 11, 2017, an undercover ATF special agent contacted Rickett and during the course of a conversation, Rickett offered to sell the agent a “military grade” IED for $350.
The undercover agent met with Rickett and after negotiations, purchased the device for $200.
The device contained 26 pennies, a gold-colored pendant, circular magnets, three beverage can pull tabs and an unknown powder, according to the affidavit.
An ATF explosives enforcement officer examined the device and determined that it met the definition of an explosive device under federal law, according to the affidavit.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; and the Portland and Saco police departments.
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