John Joseph Weikel, a 50-year-old resident of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for possessing an unregistered firearm. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley on February 6, 2025.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that Weikel possessed two improvised explosive devices at his former residence in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, around June 28, 2021. After manufacturing the devices, Weikel hid them behind ceiling tiles in his apartment and left them there upon eviction. Maintenance workers discovered the devices on May 31, 2023. Law enforcement agents subsequently disassembled and analyzed them at the FBI Laboratory, confirming they were improvised explosive devices.
Federal law prohibits the manufacture or possession of destructive devices without proper authority.
The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Allentown Field Office and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson prosecuted the case.
