Marietta man sentenced for dropping destructive devices found on barges

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WTAP) - According to a news release, Nathaniel Becker, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release in connection with pipe bombs found on barges on the Ohio River.

Becker was found guilty of two counts of possession of an unregistered destructive device and two counts of placement of a destructive device on a vessel in April 2022.

“This was a very concerning case to me because not only did it put the workers of the tugboats at risk, it also put the general public at risk because these pipe bombs were dropped from a major interstate bridge,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “This case was also very perplexing to me because even as of today, we have yet to find a motive of what made Mr. Becker want to do this. That’s concerning to me now and also concerning to me when Mr. Becker is eventually released.”

You can read more of our previous coverage here.

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