An inmate in a Georgia state prison has been sentenced to an additional 80 years in federal prison after mailing explosive devices to government buildings. According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, David Dwayne Cassady, 57, has pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted malicious use of explosives.
The investigation revealed that while jailed, Cassady created two hazardous devices and sent them through the mail.
One device was addressed to the United States Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, and the second to the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Authorities intercepted the goods before they reached their intended destinations.
U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling emphasized the danger these devices posed beyond their recipients. “This defendant’s devices were not only a threat to the recipients, but to every individual that unknowingly transported and delivered them,” Stirling said. Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division, echoed this sentiment, stating the sentencing “represents the hard work of Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners to keep the sanctity of the mail system safe.”
J. Randal Hall, United States District Judge, sentenced Cassady to 480 months on each count, to be served consecutively, for a total of 960 months, or 80 years.
Cassady, given his age and the federal system’s lack of parole, is unlikely to be released and will be subject to five years of court monitoring. The case was a collaborative operation between several organizations, including the US Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, and the Georgia Department of Corrections.