Brad Spafford, the Isle of Wight County man who pleaded guilty in July to two felonies in connection with his building over 100 pipe bombs, will spend the next eight years in federal prison.
Magistrate Judge Arenda Wright Allen, at a Dec. 18 sentencing hearing, concurred with prosecutors that the four to six years recommended in court sentencing guidelines were insufficient given the 155 improvised explosive devices, including 130 pipe bombs, FBI agents found at his Foursquare Road home during a three-day December 2024 raid. An agent testified during the hearing that the case marked the largest cache of homemade explosives the FBI has ever discovered.
Allen sentenced Spafford, 37, to eight years on each felony count, possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle and possessing an unregistered destructive device, which she allowed to be served concurrently, meaning he will spend eight years behind bars in total rather than 16. After release, he will spend three years on supervised probation…