A Las Vegas man and self-proclaimed militia leader pleaded guilty in court to possessing and making explosives on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Steven Matthew Fernandes, arrested last year by anti-terrorism agents, entered a guilty plea to U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon on one federal count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
In his plea agreement, his firearm was described as a "destructive device" or apparatus that could be reassembled into a destructive device, violating the National Firearms Act. Fernandes' device was created in a two-liter Pepsi bottle.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Dickinson told the judge he will seek a 15-month prison term as a sentence.
Fernandes, 19, is a graduate of Clark County's Northwest Career and Technical Academy and has been in federal custody since September 2012 following his arrest.
Crystal Eller, his attorney, said she plans of filing a motion asking for her client's release as he awaits his sentencing. Eller added that a completed psychiatric evaluation proved Fernandes was not a threat to himself or the community.
His lawyer also said the plea agreement given to her client was a good move by the court.
"In the current political and social climate, it's risky to take this case to trial," she said.
In his plea agreement, Fernandes admitted he possessed explosive devices in his home and created destructive devices that were not registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Additionally, he admitted to transporting explosive materials in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona and detonated some of his devices in the Arizona desert.
During their raid of his home last September, FBI agents found the devices in Fernandes' bedroom alongside a copy of "The Anarchist's Cookbook," which explains how to make such devices.
However, Eller said her client is a patriot who was scheduled to ship out with the U.S. Marines two days before his arrest.
"This is someone who sees himself as a fighter for this country, not a terrorist," she said.
