MADISONVILLE, La. — A Madisonville man who was making explosive devices in his home has been arrested by the FBI for dealing in those materials without a license, according to court documents in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The FBI says that Robert Coleman, 66, admitted to agents that he had built improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in his house. The documents also say that Coleman had previously been arrested in 1991 in Jefferson Parish for manufacturing explosive devices though that arrest was later expunged.
Coleman had shipped dozens of explosive equipment elements and chemicals to his Northshore home on 35 Mary St., before he was arrested, according to the U.S. District Court filing released on Friday.
According to the task force charged with the case, Coleman improvised the explosive devices using everyday items, many of which he ordered from Amazon.
These included coffee filters, airbag materials, and a chemical compound associated with cancer treatment, known as hydrazine sulfate.
"After reviewing the materials, the scientist at the Explosives Unit concluded the chemicals in question can be utilized, in conjunction with other common chemicals, to manufacture an assortment of explosive materials," The task force report said. "The potential nefarious uses of the items were detailed by the scientist."
According to a criminal complaint lodged by FBI Task Force Officer John Morse, agents were granted a federal search warrant for Coleman’s home on Wednesday and they approached the house on Mary Street in Madisonville Thursday.
The documents say Coleman met the agents in his driveway and waived his Miranda rights, talking freely to the agents and admitting he purchased explosive materials and constructed some IEDs. He even told the agents where they could be found in his home.
Bomb technicians recovered the items.
The FBI New Orleans division was first alerted to Coleman's alleged activities in January. From there, an investigation eventually led Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents to secure a search warrant for Coleman's house on Wednesday. That search was executed the next day.
Coleman is being held in Plaquemines Parish on the federal charges.