Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated today that Christopher Gilberto and his wife, Cruz De Jesus Gilberto, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges stemming from their manufacturing and mailing of explosive devices in the York County, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina areas over a two-year period.

Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., District Court Judge for the District of South Carolina accepted the York County couple’s guilty pleas Friday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina. The two pleaded guilty to multiple charges of aggravated identity theft, the manufacturing of an explosive device as well as two separate conspiracies relating to their mailing the explosive devices throughout the two states.

Mr. Wilkins stated the case was investigated by inspectors with the United States Postal Inspectors, as well as agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The agencies conducted an investigation over a two-year period that began on February 14, 2005, when a package containing an improvised explosive device was found at a restaurant in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The case also involved three additional improvised explosive devices mailed by the Gilbertos to financial institutions and private citizens in the York County area throughout 2006 and 2007. The Gilbertos also mailed threatening letters to a financial institution in South Carolina and the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Charlotte, North Carolina.

One of the threatening letters indicated that a bomb would be detonated at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport at 9:11 a.m. in March 2007. Mr. Wilkins stated that after receiving the threatening communication federal agents began an exhaustive effort to determine the identity of the individuals who wrote the letter. Their efforts resulted in the arrest of the Gilbertos and a search of their home on March 9, 2007.

At the residence agents found numerous items connecting the Gilbertos to the crime including materials used to make the destructive devices as well as a typewriter used to write the threatening letters. Agents were able to recover the typewriter ribbon that bore the impression of the wording used in the letter mailed to the FBI. Law enforcement were also able to match Christopher Gilberto’s fingerprints to ones recovered from several of the destructive devices.

Law enforcement learned that the Gilbertos were motivated by disagreements they had with multiple victims in the case. During the investigation it became clear that the Gilbertos would use the names of individuals who worked with Cruz Gilberto in the return address of the mailed destructive devices in an attempt to have those individuals investigated by law enforcement. Agents were also able to determine Christopher Gilberto began manufacturing and mailing the devices in February 2006 when the victim restaurant did not renew their contract with Gilberto for window cleaning services.

Mr. Wilkins stated the maximum penalty the Gilbertos face on both conspiracy charges is a term of imprisonment of five (5) years and a fine of $250,000. The two also face an additional penalty of ten (10) years and a fine of $250,000 for manufacturing a destructive device. Finally, each defendant faces a mandatory sentence of two years imprisonment for aggravated identity theft.

Judge Anderson will sentence the two at a later date after he reviews Presentence reports which will be prepared by the United States Probation Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Todd Hagins of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.