The State - News from Dec. 18, 1986

A man accused of delivering a bomb hidden in a flower basket to his employer’s estranged wife pleaded innocent in San Francisco federal court. Shaun Small, 27, was charged with felony counts of manufacturing an explosive device without a permit, illegal possession of a firearm and malicious damage of federal property. The blast severely burned the face of Melanie Pilaski, 41, and injured a co-worker, Pamela Castro, 42. The device was delivered to Pilaski Nov. 17 at her office in the U.S. General Services Administration building in San Francisco. Small was arrested at a cabin owned by his boss, Peter Pilaski, for whom he managed an apartment building. The Pilaskis are involved in a bitter divorce fight, with Melanie Pilaski seeking half of the nearly $3 million in real estate holdings the couple amassed during their 18-year marriage, investigators said.