Essex County Man Arrested, Charged with Transportation of Explosive Materials
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 05, 2012 |
NEWARK—An Essex County, New Jersey man was arrested this morning for transporting to Pennsylvania, without a license or permit, a PVC pipe containing potassium chlorate and magnesium, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Anthony Nicholas Gallo, 20, of North Caldwell, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with transportation of explosive materials without a license or permit issued by the U.S. Attorney General. He is expected to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court.
According to the complaint:
On January 8, 2012, Gallo traveled to Pennsylvania with potassium chlorate and magnesium in a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe, planning to cause an explosion. Gallo never applied for the requisite user permit or license, and no user permit or license for transportation of chlorate explosive mixtures was ever issued to him by the U.S. Attorney General.
On January 19, 2012, Gallo was admitted to the emergency room of a hospital in New Jersey for burn injuries from another potassium chlorate explosion. On February 7, 2012, one of Gallo’s parents contacted the university Gallo attended in South Dakota requesting that Gallo’s belongings be packed and stored for either subsequent pick-up or shipment back to his home address in North Caldwell, as he would not be returning to the university. Upon discovery of various unidentifiable chemicals in Gallo’s dormitory room by a resident assistant, law enforcement was alerted, and various incendiary mixtures and materials, including improvised thermite and red iron oxide, were recovered.
If convicted of the charges, Gallo faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest. The Newark-based task force is composed of personnel from 30 federal, state, and local agencies from throughout the region. He also thanked the North Caldwell Police Department and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office for their roles in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce M. Malliet of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.