Napa man with illegal weapons, pipe bombs charged
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Northern California man who had a bumper sticker associated with an anti- government militia on his vehicle has been charged with stockpiling weapons, including pipe bombs, U.S. prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Ian Rogers, 44, of Napa, was arrested this month on state illegal firearm charges after sheriff’s deputies and federal agents found weapons and explosives at his home and auto repair shop, authorities said. He’s being held in lieu of $5 million bail. Federal prosecutors have now charged him with unlawful possession of unregistered destructive devices, according to court records.
Officials found a cache of 49 weapons that included at least eight illegal guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, five pipe bombs and materials to make more, plus manuals like “The Anarchist Cookbook,” “U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook” and “Homemade C-4 A Recipe for Survival.” He also had a bumper sticker associated with anti-government militia the Three Percenters on his vehicle, prosecutors said.
“We draw a bright line between lawlessness and our constitutional freedoms. We will prosecute illegal weapons stockpiles regardless of the motivation of the offender,” U.S. Attorney David Anderson for the Northern District of California said in a statement.
Investigators secured search warrants after receiving an anonymous tip that Rogers possessed illegal guns, official said.
Rogers’ attorney, Jess Raphael, said Rogers told investigators he explodes the pipe bombs for fun, as if they were larger firecrackers, when he goes camping.
Investigators “stacked tires and exploded them inside some tires and they apparently didn’t even have the capacity to shrink tires,” Raphael said.
He said the anonymous tip came from a disgruntled employee Rogers had fired and who first contacted the FBI in September, but the bureau didn’t pursue the case. In October, that employee contacted the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, which reached out to the FBI, and the bureau again said there was no connection to terrorism, Raphael said.
But that changed after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the attorney said. Raphael, who is representing Rogers in the state charges, said his client has no connection to the riot.