UPDATE After pleading guilty to numerous charges relating to his terroristic threats and construction of pipe bombs, Michigan’s John Douglas Allen, 76, has been sentenced for his crimes. As The Detroit News reports, Allen, who could have received up to 20 years in jail, will end up serving only a 75-month term.
Claiming to represent a group calling themselves CMT (Coalition for Moral Communication), Allen came to the law enforcement’s attention when he threatened to blow up cell towers if they did not stop fostering the broadcast of “all manner of indecent communication.” Allen, who specifically named AT&T and Verizon in letters he left at targeted cell phone stores, also wanted a $5 million pay off.
In the course of their investigations, officials determined that CMT was a fictional organization and that Allen had acted alone. Swift action prevented anyone from being injured. Despite the potential danger, ultimately no cell towers were damaged. “This defendant sought to use terror, threats, and bombs to scare ordinary people going about their business,” stated U.S. Attorney, Dawn Ison. “We will not tolerate individuals who use fear to try to line their own pockets.”
“The danger of the crimes that Allen committed cannot be overstated,” noted Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Buckley in a sentencing memorandum. “He planted not one, but two fully functional pipe bombs containing shrapnel, in two locations. These pipe bombs could have taken lives, caused horrific personal injuries, and damaged the cell phone stores.”
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