Orlando, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Carl Joseph Thomas Pisa (24, Casselberry) guilty of possessing destructive devices. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been set for Jan. 20, 2016.
According to court documents, in December 2014, an undercover agent (UC) contacted Pisa in response to an online ad for a military simulator offered for sale. Pisa agreed to sell him the simulator. Between December 2014 and February 2015, Pisa met with the UC on several occasions to sell the UC explosives. On February 6, 2015, Pisa sold the UC 12 improvised explosive devices in a parking lot in Winter Park. During that meeting, the UC asked Pisa if the explosives could kill somebody, to which Pisa responded, “yes." In describing the bombs, Pisa explained how ball bearings would blast out from the device in a perfect cone upon initiation. The devices were sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives laboratory for examination, where they were identified as explosive bombs and destructive devices. It was also determined that they were not properly registered to Pisa in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James D. Mandolfo and Kara M. Wick.
It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods" program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime and improve the quality of life where law enforcement efforts are focused.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
