Santa Ana Man Says Plan Was to Sell Pipe Bombs

A reputed white supremacist facing federal charges of possessing explosive devices told federal agents that he built pipe bombs to sell for a profit and to “rip off” black and Latino drug dealers, according to an affidavit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Eric Lord Jeffrey, 21, of Santa Ana, also has a penchant for collecting white supremacy and satanic worship items, ranging from satanic bibles and pornographic comic books to black dolls with nooses around their necks, according to the court document that said ex-convict Jeffrey was an associate member of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang.

While the affidavit was denounced by Jeffrey’s defense attorney as containing “irrelevant, racially charged nonsense,” the document is a foundation for an ongoing investigation into claims that Jeffrey may have already used one of the deadly devices in a hate crime against an African-American family.

“There are allegations of actual uses of the bombs and there is an ongoing investigation,” said Assistant U.S. Atty. Jonathan Shapiro, who declined to discuss the case in detail. “We’re obviously interested in what he was going to do with the bombs.”

Jeffrey, who allegedly has a swastika tattooed on his chest along with the letters WP--allegedly an acronym for White Power--was arrested at his home Wednesday in the 1300 block of South Poplar Street in Santa Ana.

Agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Santa Ana police, acting on a tip, discovered 14 homemade pipe bombs in Jeffrey’s bedroom. Several homes had to be evacuated as a safety precaution while authorities dismantled the bombs.

ATF Agent John D’Angelo said Thursday that investigators “have definitely ruled out” any connection between Jeffrey and the white supremacists arrested last week in connection with an alleged plot to ignite a race war in Southern California with attacks on high-profile minorities, including Rodney G. King.

“We believe he was making them for profit,” D’Angelo said.

But the hoopla surrounding Jeffrey’s arrest has firmly linked him in the public’s mind to the assassination plot, said Assistant Federal Public Defender Ken Miller, who said the affidavit is filled with inflammatory material that has nothing to do with the charges at hand.

“The government does not need to splash on the front page some of the most emotionally charged allegations you can have,” said Miller, who asked that people reserve judgment on Jeffrey until all the evidence is in. “Everyone in Orange County hates that man,” Miller said.

It is anticipated that Jeffrey will be indicted by a federal grand jury before his next scheduled court appearance on Aug. 5. Each conviction for possessing an explosive device carries a 20-year penalty.

Jeffrey sat quietly in court Thursday, his eyes cast downward, his long brown hair unruly. U.S. District Judge Ronald W. Rose ordered Jeffrey held without bail after concluding that he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.

The federal case is the most serious of Jeffrey’s legal problems. He also appears to be in violation of his parole from a May, 1991, conviction in Fresno for vehicle theft and drunk driving, according to state and federal authorities. As a convicted felon on parole, he is not supposed to possess any unlawful weapons.

He was sentenced to two years in prison on the 1991 case and was released on parole in July, 1992. He was returned to prison last October for a parole violation, then paroled again less than two months later, according to the state Department of Corrections.

According to state court records, Jeffrey at the time of his arrest was wanted on an outstanding warrant for again failing to comply with the terms of his probation.

Santa Ana police first learned last October from a confidential informant that Jeffrey was suspected of possessing explosive devices. However, a search of his home by an Orange County bomb squad turned up some stolen property as well as suspicious containers containing gunpowder residue but no explosive devices.

Jeffrey was sentenced to 270 days in jail on the stolen property charge.

The same informant notified authorities on Tuesday that Jeffrey was in possession of 15 bombs made of metal pipes, gunpowder and sections of cannon fuse.

When federal agents arrived at Jeffrey’s home Wednesday, Jeffrey admitted he possessed the bombs, according to the court record. “Jeffrey stated (1) that (he) had constructed the pipe bombs, that he made them for sale, and . . . (2) that (he) would use the bombs to ‘rip off’ black and Hispanic drug dealers.”

Agents also found items “consistent with satanic worship and white supremacy beliefs,” including satanic bibles, incense and candles, pornographic satanic comic books, and black dolls hung by nooses and labeled “hang me,” according to the affidavit.

Agents also found documents relating to terrorist acts, such as destroying certain types of buildings and cars, the document states.

The informant also told authorities that Jeffrey vowed to bomb anyone who “snitched” on him, the document states.

The affidavit includes allegations that Jeffrey bragged about setting off a test bomb July 4 in Centennial Regional Park. During Wednesday’s arrest, a neighbor told authorities that “Jeffrey had set off a pipe bomb in the yard of a black family in the area of Elder (Avenue) and Poplar (Street) as an act of hate against that black family,” according to the affidavit.

It could not immediately be confirmed whether these bombings took place. Federal prosecutor Shapiro said he could not discuss the findings in detail but said an investigation is ongoing.

A man and a woman who answered the door at Jeffrey’s home Thursday afternoon refused to comment on Jeffrey’s arrest.

“We don’t know anything about it,” the man said before shutting the door.

* A POPULAR EXPLOSIVE: Pipe bombs are most common devices used criminally. A14