Watervliet Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Manufacture and Deal Explosive Materials

ALBANY, NY—United States Attorney Andrew T. Baxter and John F. Pikus, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Albany Division, announced that SCOTT MONROE, age 26, of Watervliet, New York, was sentenced on June 3, 2009 by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence E. Kahn in Federal Court in Albany on his guilty plea to Count One of an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to manufacture and deal explosive materials in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 371, 842(a) and 844. MONROE was sentenced to five years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

MONROE plead guilty on February 4, 2009. In connection with his plea, he admitted the following:

In or about July, 2008, MONROE developed an interest in making home-made explosive devices. Once in possession of the necessary raw materials and instructions on how to build and manufacture home-made explosive devices, MONROE set out to build and manufacture, in his residence in Watervliet, New York, home-made explosive devices. Between about July, 2008 and December 4, 2008, MONROE assembled and manufactured approximately 100 home-made explosive devices using the aforementioned raw materials.

In July, 2008, MONROE’s neighbor, AARON SCORSONE, visited MONROE at his residence in Watervliet, New York. During this visit SCORSONE saw one of the assembled home-made explosive devices and expressed an interest in purchasing some of MONROE’s home-made explosive devices. In July, 2008, MONROE and SCORSONE agreed that SCORSONE would purchase twenty (20) home-made explosive devices from MONROE. MONROE and SCORSONE agreed that in return, SCORSONE would pay ten dollars ($10.00) cash for each explosive device.

Sometime in July, 2008, MONROE sold twenty (20) home-made explosive devices to SCORSONE, and in return, SCORSONE paid MONROE $200.00 in cash.

Between August, 2008 and on or about December 4, 2008, MONROE and SCORSONE agreed that SCORSONE would purchase additional home-made explosive devices from MONROE. During this time period MONROE sold approximately twenty to thirty additional home-made explosive devices to SCORSONE, and in return SCORSONE paid MONROE $10.00 for each device, for a total of approximately $200.00-$300.00 in cash.

The following agencies provided significant assistance to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force during the course of the investigation: The NYPD Intelligence Division - Operation Sentry, the United States Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the New York State Police, the Troy Police Department, the Watervliet Police Department, the North Greenbush Police Department, the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office, and the Colonie Police Department.

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