Las Vegas Felon, Christopher Robinson Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Pipe Bomb
A felon who threatened to “blow up the house” pleaded guilty today to possession of a 12-inch pipe bomb, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.
Christopher Michael Robinson, 46, of North Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a destructive device. He has multiple prior felony convictions in Clark County, Nevada, and Hawaii, including a previous conviction for possessing a pipe bomb.
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On January 11, 2018, bomb technicians used a robot to remove a 12-inch pipe bomb from a North Las Vegas house. The house’s resident indicated that he had evicted Robinson for nonpayment of rent and that Robinson had in turn threatened to “blow up the house.” During an interview with law enforcement, Robinson admitted to constructing the pipe bomb and stated that he was currently on parole in Hawaii for previously manufacturing a pipe bomb.
United States District Judge Larry R. Hicks accepted the guilty pleas and scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 6, 2019. Robinson will face the statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is a joint investigation by the FBI, North Las Vegas Police Department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Bomb Squad. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip N. Smith, Jr. and Linda Mott are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide program by the Department of Justice that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, the Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN. For more information about PSN, visit www.justice.gov/usao-nv.
