Former Tucson Businessman Sentenced to Additional Time for Possessing 24 Explosive Devices

TUCSON, AZ—On December 6, 2013, Todd Russell Fries, 50, of Tucson, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson to 60 months in prison after he was found guilty by a federal jury on August 13, 2013, of two counts of unlawful possession of unregistered destructive devices. Judge Jorgenson ordered that 20 months be served consecutive to the sentence of 151 months Fries previously received for unlawful possession and use of a chemical weapon.

Fries is currently serving a sentence of 151 months after being convicted in October 2012 of unlawful possession and use of a chemical weapon and providing false information to the FBI. The chemical weapon charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on August 2, 2009, when two chlorine chemical devices were placed at the home of Fries’s former clients with whom he had a billing dispute. In that incident, the chlorine devices produced a massive cloud containing chlorine that enveloped a neighborhood on the northwest side of Tucson. As a result of the cloud, the neighborhood had to be evacuated. On May 13, 2011, during the course of the investigation of the chemical devices, the FBI executed a search warrant at Fries’s home in Tucson. During the search, agents discovered 24 explosive devices, three containing added fragmentation, in a bedroom located in Fries’ residence.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives; the Pima County Sheriff’s Department; and the Pima Regional Bomb Squad. The prosecution was handled by Beverly K. Anderson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.