Bomb Suspect’s Mother Denies Son Is Racist

The mother of a reputed white supremacist accused of manufacturing pipe bombs to assault black and Latino drug dealers said Friday that the charges against her son are “completely untrue.”

Eric Lord Jeffrey’s mother, Yvonne, said that her 21-year-old son does not hate minorities and is himself part Latino and American Indian. The swastika and the letters WP--supposedly an acronym for “white power”--tattooed on Jeffrey’s chest are simply body art, she said.

“I’m tired of them making all this stuff up,” she said, adding that federal agents are just trying to rack up another “notch in their guns” by arresting her son. “This stuff is completely untrue. It’s all distorted.”

Eric Jeffrey was arrested Wednesday and faces federal charges of possessing 14 homemade pipe bombs. A search of his home by federal agents turned up numerous items indicating his interest in white supremacy and satanic worship, according to federal court documents.

Federal agents also found a dagger, a throwing star, handcuffs, a pellet air pistol, drug paraphernalia, satanic books and drawings, and numerous documents relating to the use of explosives, according to federal court documents.

Jeffrey’s mother said the devices called “pipe bombs” are, in reality, harmless, homemade firecrackers that her son made for kicks, not for assaults. But federal authorities are looking into the possibility that Eric Jeffrey may have used a similar bomb in an attempt to terrorize a black family, although that incident has not been confirmed.

“I had to laugh when they said he had bombs,” said Yvonne Jeffrey, who added that her son is a good, quiet young man who does tattoos for money. She said she encourages her son to read about different issues, including satanism and white supremacy, so that he can be informed.

“I taught him not to believe everything you hear and (to) read both sides of the coin,” she said, adding that just because her son reads about satanic worship does not mean he subscribes to such practices.

Jeffrey, who has prior convictions for vehicle theft, drunk driving, receiving stolen property and traffic violations, has also apparently violated his parole by leaving the Fresno area and possessing weapons.

Federal authorities said Jeffrey’s arrest was warranted because the bombs could easily have killed someone. Jeffrey told a federal agent that he planned to sell the devices for profit as well as use them to “rip off” black and Latino drug dealers, according to court records.

Jeffrey is not linked to the recent arrests of several reputed white supremacists who allegedly planned to trigger a race war in Southern California by assassinating several high-profile minorities, including Rodney G. King.