Blackfoot Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Homemade Bombs

POCATELLO –  Matthew Gage Burgett, 25, of Blackfoot, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court to unlawful possession of destructive devices which Burgett designed for use as a weapon, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Burgett was indicted by a Pocatello grand jury on October 27, 2015. 

On September 24, 2015, law enforcement officers served search warrants at Burgett’s residence and found several explosive devices, including four assembled devices with a main charge container and a fuzing system, as well as three partially-assembled devices and explosive material.  Burgett admitted that the explosive devices were designed for use as a weapon.  Additionally, at the time of the execution of the search warrant, Burgett had previously been involuntary committed to a mental institution and could not possess firearms.  Two firearms were also located at Burgett’s residence.

The charge of unlawful possession of destructive devices is punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. 

Burgett is scheduled to be sentenced on February 28, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated by the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Blackfoot Police Department, and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).