NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

BETH PHILLIPS

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov../index.html

JANUARY 19, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAURIE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGALLY

STORING DISPLAY FIREWORKS

            JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Laurie, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally storing commercial display fireworks.

            Michael William Backman, 66, of Laurie, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge William A. Knox this afternoon to a federal information that charges him with illegally storing a variety of explosive materials.

            By pleading guilty today, Backman admitted that he illegally stored fireworks in a public storage facility. On July 2, 2009, law enforcement officers discovered 23 boxes of 1.3 class fireworks in a storage unit that Backman was renting at Stow and Go Self Storage in Laurie. Backman also admitted that he illegally stored fireworks at his business, Pro Fireworks, which is housed in the same building as Morgan County Carpet in Laurie.

            This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Missouri State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

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