MORRIS COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSING BOMBS AND BEING FELON IN POSSESSION OF GUNS

NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for being a felon in possession of guns, possessing bombs, and precursor materials, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Christopher Faschan, 31, of Landing, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an information charging him with one count of unlawful possession of destructive devices and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Feb. 1, 2019, Faschan detonated the bomb in the area of Lake Lackawanna in Stanhope. On Feb. 4, 2019, law enforcement agents interviewed Faschan, who said that he had ignited the bomb. He described it as two pounds in weight and explained how he used and mixed Potassium Perchlorate, Aluminum Powder, and Tannerite to make several bombs that were in his home.

Law enforcement agents executed a court-authorized search of Faschan’s home and recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition, firearms, explosive devices and precursor materials.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Faschan to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson in Newark; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; officers of the Byram Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter J. Zabita; the Roxbury Police Department, under the direction of Chief Marc Palanchi; the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Francis A. Koch; officers of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James M. Gannon; and officers of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Frederic M. Knapp, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean C. Sovolos of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit.

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Defense counsel: John Whipple Esq., Morristown, New Jersey