Delaware Pipe Bomber Pleads Guilty in Federal Court
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Mark Consiglio, 49, of Elsmere, Delaware pled guilty today in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware to possessing a destructive device, commonly known as a pipe bomb. Consiglio is scheduled to be sentenced before the Honorable Richard G. Andrews, United States District Judge for the District of Delaware on July 2, 2019. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents and statements made in open court, Consiglio detonated a pipe bomb at his estranged wife’s home in Elsmere in the early morning hours of March 12, 2018 before fleeing the scene. Two 911 callers described the explosion to police.
Two occupants were home at the time of the pipe bomb explosion. The pipe bomb shattered the front living room window of the house where one of the occupants was sleeping at the time. Shrapnel from the explosion was found inside the living room.
Consiglio was detained by police nearby. Subsequent searches of his home yielded: three more pipe bombs; a .38 caliber revolver; materials used to make a pipe bomb, including PVC, fuse wire, ball bearings, and gunpowder; a World War II-era flare launcher that had been modified to accept 9mm ammunition; and a book titled “CIA improvised sabotage devices” that was dog-eared to the page on “incendiary devices.” At the time he set off the pipe bomb, Consiglio was already facing state charges for threatening to kill his wife.
U.S. Attorney Weiss offered the following statement, “The defendant’s brazen violence endangered not only his family members but our community. My Office will prosecute any such actions to the full extent of the law.”
“Our mission is to ensure that anyone who commits violent acts like this is identified, investigated, and brought to justice,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “ATF will continue to work hand in hand with our partners in protecting the safety of Delaware communities.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in coordination with the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Elsmere Police Department. U.S. Attorney Weiss also wishes to thank the New Castle County Police Department for its assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Ibrahim.
