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Irregular News for 04.06.06
North Bloomfield, Ohio -- This is the story of how a man's wayward quest to enlarge his penis landed him in federal court yesterday, pleading guilty to weapons of mass destruction charges.
His offense: building a tiny bomb and mailing it to the cosmetic surgeon who had promised - but failed - to deliver big results. He faces a likely prison sentence of four years or more on a charge more commonly used against terrorists than dissatisfied customers.
It all began in early 2004 at the home of Brett R. Steidler, a 25-year-old factory worker from a devout Christian family in Reamstown, Lancaster County. Eager to find a cosmetic surgeon who could enlarge his penis, Steidler logged onto the Internet, located one in Chicago, and traveled there for the roughly $8,000 procedure.
To put it mildly, there were complications. Steidler was "extremely unhappy with the results," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in a court filing.
"It's a very sad case for a young kid from Lancaster County who's had a tough go of it," said his attorney, Luis A. Ortiz.
Steidler is mentally ill, probably bipolar, Ortiz said. Unhappy with his surgery, he simply snapped, then tried to correct a bad decision, Ortiz said.
The following facts are not disputed:
For months after the surgery, Steidler repeatedly called the clinic - which was not identified - to complain. In November 2004, he sent the doctor a poem, "The Surgeon's Hands," and threatened to cut them off.
"To kill him is not enough, for he is already old," he wrote.
In February 2005, Steidler sought his revenge.
From his home in Reamstown, he built a bomb out of black gunpowder, a carbon dioxide cartridge, a nine-volt battery, a model-rocket igniter, and dental floss.
Under the relevant federal statute - 18 U.S.C. Section 2332a(a)(2) - this device now qualified as a "weapon of mass destruction," for which the maximum penalty is life in prison.
Steidler hid this bomb in a small gold jewelry box and placed the box in an envelope. He wrote the surgeon's address on the outside and listed the return address as "United Methodist Church in Warren, Ohio."
Steidler got into his car and drove to Ohio.
About 11 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2005, he arrived in North Bloomfield, Ohio, just beyond the Pennsylvania state line. On the trip from the car to a public mailbox, Steidler wore latex gloves to conceal his fingerprints, and shoes with zip-ties and wire fasteners to alter his footprints. He mailed the bomb and began to drive back to Reamstown.
At 6:40 a.m. the next day, a postal worker emptied the box and delivered the package to the Youngstown, Ohio, Processing and Distribution Center.
At 7:45 a.m., after driving all night to arrive home in Reamstown, Steidler had second thoughts.
"I was scared, reality set in, and I called 911," Steidler later told ATF agents. He helped authorities as best he could, even drawing a diagram of his bomb.
By noon, authorities in Youngstown located the package. They used a water cannon from a fire truck to disarm it.
Sentencing is set for July 7 before U.S. District Judge Lawrence F. Stengel. Ortiz noted the difference between the sentence for mailing a letter bomb (roughly two years) and the sentence for using a weapon of mass destruction (likely four to eight years) and said prosecutors had overcharged. Prosecutors declined to comment.
"You shouldn't group this guy with people who drive trunk loads of explosives to buildings or gather anthrax or do things for political reasons," Ortiz said. "This was a mail bomb. But apparently, under a reading of the law, it is also a weapon of mass destruction."
source
North Bloomfield, Ohio -- This is the story of how a man's wayward quest to enlarge his penis landed him in federal court yesterday, pleading guilty to weapons of mass destruction charges.
His offense: building a tiny bomb and mailing it to the cosmetic surgeon who had promised - but failed - to deliver big results. He faces a likely prison sentence of four years or more on a charge more commonly used against terrorists than dissatisfied customers.
It all began in early 2004 at the home of Brett R. Steidler, a 25-year-old factory worker from a devout Christian family in Reamstown, Lancaster County. Eager to find a cosmetic surgeon who could enlarge his penis, Steidler logged onto the Internet, located one in Chicago, and traveled there for the roughly $8,000 procedure.
To put it mildly, there were complications. Steidler was "extremely unhappy with the results," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in a court filing.
"It's a very sad case for a young kid from Lancaster County who's had a tough go of it," said his attorney, Luis A. Ortiz.
Steidler is mentally ill, probably bipolar, Ortiz said. Unhappy with his surgery, he simply snapped, then tried to correct a bad decision, Ortiz said.
The following facts are not disputed:
For months after the surgery, Steidler repeatedly called the clinic - which was not identified - to complain. In November 2004, he sent the doctor a poem, "The Surgeon's Hands," and threatened to cut them off.
"To kill him is not enough, for he is already old," he wrote.
In February 2005, Steidler sought his revenge.
From his home in Reamstown, he built a bomb out of black gunpowder, a carbon dioxide cartridge, a nine-volt battery, a model-rocket igniter, and dental floss.
Under the relevant federal statute - 18 U.S.C. Section 2332a(a)(2) - this device now qualified as a "weapon of mass destruction," for which the maximum penalty is life in prison.
Steidler hid this bomb in a small gold jewelry box and placed the box in an envelope. He wrote the surgeon's address on the outside and listed the return address as "United Methodist Church in Warren, Ohio."
Steidler got into his car and drove to Ohio.
About 11 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2005, he arrived in North Bloomfield, Ohio, just beyond the Pennsylvania state line. On the trip from the car to a public mailbox, Steidler wore latex gloves to conceal his fingerprints, and shoes with zip-ties and wire fasteners to alter his footprints. He mailed the bomb and began to drive back to Reamstown.
At 6:40 a.m. the next day, a postal worker emptied the box and delivered the package to the Youngstown, Ohio, Processing and Distribution Center.
At 7:45 a.m., after driving all night to arrive home in Reamstown, Steidler had second thoughts.
"I was scared, reality set in, and I called 911," Steidler later told ATF agents. He helped authorities as best he could, even drawing a diagram of his bomb.
By noon, authorities in Youngstown located the package. They used a water cannon from a fire truck to disarm it.
Sentencing is set for July 7 before U.S. District Judge Lawrence F. Stengel. Ortiz noted the difference between the sentence for mailing a letter bomb (roughly two years) and the sentence for using a weapon of mass destruction (likely four to eight years) and said prosecutors had overcharged. Prosecutors declined to comment.
"You shouldn't group this guy with people who drive trunk loads of explosives to buildings or gather anthrax or do things for political reasons," Ortiz said. "This was a mail bomb. But apparently, under a reading of the law, it is also a weapon of mass destruction."
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