ST. PAUL, Minn. - 24-year-old Michigan man Matthew Bradley DePalma was sentenced Tuesday to 3 and a half years in prison, for his role in a plot to attack the Republican National Convention.
DePalma received a 42-month sentence and three years supervised release on one count of possession of destructive devices. DePalms was charged August 30, 2008, and pleaded guilty on Oct. 21.
According to DePalma's plea agreement, he knowingly and intentionally possessed unregistered Molotov cocktails from Aug. 22 through Aug. 29.
At a Wisconsin conference, DePalma told an FBI informant he planned to "make some bombs" and "blow up" things during the RNC in St. Paul.
DePalma told the FBI source, in detail, the ingredients he used to make the flammable liquid more viscous so that it would stick to a target, and burn longer and hotter than an ordinary gasoline-based Molotov cocktail.
The affidavit states that DePalma went to a Hennepin County Library on Aug. 18 and spent 90 minutes researching recipes for explosive devices.
Aug. 20, a recorded conversation revealed DePalma’s plan to place a bomb near the Xcel Center during the convention to disrupt the event. The plan included sneaking into utility tunnels and using the bombs to destroy electrical cables and cause a power outage.
DePalma also described a plan to use napalm-filled Molotov cocktails on the streets against police officers, stating, “I will light one of those pigs on fire.”
Mich. Man Sentenced in RNC Molotov Cocktail Plot |