U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Northern District of New York
100 South Clinton Street
Room 900; P.O. Box 7198
Syracuse, New York 13261-7198
(315) 448-0672

December 5, 2008
NEWS RELEASE

Andrew T. Baxter, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, and John F. Pikus, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), confirmed today that AARON A. SCORSONE of Watervliet, New York and JONATHAN PLUNKETT of Troy, New York were arrested by members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and were charged by criminal complaints alleging that they conspired to unlawfully engage in the business of manufacturing and dealing in explosive materials, without a license to do so, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Sections 2, 371, 842(a)(1) & 844(a). AARON A. SCORSONE and ADAM HANSEN of Troy , New York were separately charged in federal complaints alleging that they manufactured and distributed marijuana in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a) and 846, and used the telephone to facilitate these drug trafficking offenses in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New York Police Department Intelligence Division's Operation Sentry, the Troy Police Department, the Watervliet Police Department, the North Greenbush Police Department, the New York State Police, the Schenectady Police Department, the Colonie Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Schenectady County District Attorney's Office. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is comprised of representatives from the Troy Police Department, the Albany Police Department, the New York State Police, the Vermont State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Air Marshal Service.

The complaints alleging the offenses under Title 18 charge that since late September of 2008, AARON A. SCORSONE, PLUNKETT and others have agreed to manufacture and sell home-made explosive devices.

The complaints alleging offenses under Title 21 charge that in October and November of 2008 AARON A. SCORSONE and ADAM HANSEN, on at least two occasions, engaged in extensive telephonic conversations on how to maintain and improve their marijuana growing operations, took steps to facilitate those operations, and on several occasions sold or distributed marijuana.

FBI Special Agent In Charge John Pikus confirmed that search warrants were also executed by members of the JTTF at the residences of PLUNKETT, AARON A. SCORSONE and RYAN HANSEN.

Acting U.S. Attorney Baxter had high praise for the collaborative efforts of those agencies that participated in this case. Mr. Baxter noted that "various law enforcement agencies working together in a coordinated and cooperative fashion is essential for the effective investigation of criminal activities such as these."

This prosecution will be handled in the United States Attorney's Office by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Belliss.

LOCAL CONTACT:
Rick Belliss
Assistant U.S. Attorney
Tel (518) 431-0247