Missouri Man Pleads Guilty After Trying To Swap A Pipe Bomb For Meth in Columbia, Illinois

     Donald K. Novy, 35, of Dittmer, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of an 
unregistered destructive device and being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession 
of a firearm, Steven D. Weinhoeft, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, 
announced today. Novy faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of 
supervised release on each charge.

     Court documents reveal that in November 2018, Novy agreed with another person to manufacture a                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    pipe bomb and bring it to Columbia, Illinois, in exchange for methamphetamine. Unknown to Novy, the 
other person was working with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) 
and was accompanied by an ATF Special Agent working in an undercover capacity. Novy accepted fake 
methamphetamine in exchange for the pipe bomb and was promptly arrested. Upon his arrest, ATF found 
a Taurus semi-automatic pistol in Novy’s possession. Novy later admitted using methamphetamine on a 
daily basis, including the morning of the transaction.

     Novy will remain in custody pending his sentencing on Feb. 11, 2020.