A federal grand jury today returned an indictment against a Topeka man who was charged in a criminal complaint last week with plotting to explode a bomb at the Fort Riley military base near Manhattan, Kan., U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
John T. Booker Jr., 20, Topeka, Kan., was indicted on one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives), one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is a foreign terrorist organization.
If convicted, Booker would face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, including members from the FBI’s Kansas City Division, the Topeka Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith, and Trial Attorneys Josh Parecki and Rebecca Magnone of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Other federal grand jury indictments in unrelated cases include:
Carlos Byron, 59, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 30, 2015, in Kansas City, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask is prosecuting.
In an unrelated case, Luis Gerardo-Montenegro, 21, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred April 2, 2015, in Wyandotte County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million on the drug charge, and penalty of not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and ICE-HSI investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ward is prosecuting.