Ketchikan Man Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Receipt and Possession Of Explosive Materials by a Felon

Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a Ketchikan man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for receipt and possession of explosive materials by a prohibited person.
 
Joseph Duane Brown, 39, of Juneau, Alaska, was charged in a one-count indictment that on or about July 4, 2013, while having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly receive and possess, in an affecting interstate and foreign commerce, explosive materials, specifically perchlorate explosive mixture and cap sensitive ammonium nitrate explosive mixture.

The defendant was arraigned before Magistrate Judge Leslie C. Longenbaugh on August 15, 2014, and was ordered detained pending trial.  Trial is currently scheduled for October 7, 2014.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, Brown faces a maximum sentence of ten years of imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release for receipt and possession of explosive materials by a prohibited person. The actual sentence of the defendant will depend on the actual circumstances of the case and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The case was investigated by special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.