San Francisco Resident Indicted for Possession of an Improvised Explosive Device

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted Ryan Kelly Chamberlain II yesterday with possession of an unregistered destructive device, and possession of a firearm with the manufacturer’s serial number removed, announced U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Riehl, and Tatum King, Acting Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Francisco.

The two-count Indictment alleges that Chamberlain, 42, of San Francisco, possessed a destructive device that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and a handgun with an obliterated serial number that had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce. According to an affidavit filed by an agent of the FBI in connection with a criminal complaint filed previously in the same matter, the destructive device was an improvised explosive device complete with a power source, wire conductors, switching mechanism, shrapnel, and a remote controlled detonation system.

Chamberlain was the subject of a recent manhunt which resulted in his arrest near Crissy Field in San Francisco, Calif., on June 2, 2014. Chamberlain came to the attention of authorities during an investigation of his alleged activities on the “Deep Web.”

Chamberlain made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on June 3, 2014, and is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing on Monday, June 16, 2014, at 9:30 a.m., before the Honorable Nathanael Cousins, United States Magistrate Court Judge.

An Indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, followed by a 3-year period of supervised release, and $10,000 fine, for a violation of 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d), and a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, followed by a 3-year period of supervised release, and $250,000 fine, for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(k). However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Philip J. Kearney is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Patricia Mahoney. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, ATF, and ICE HSI.