A campus security supervisor at a California high school has admitted in court that he and a student worked together to make homemade bombs and sell them on social media.
On Monday, Angelo Jackson Mendiver, 27, pled guilty to conspiring to engage in manufacturing and dealing in explosive materials and mailing explosive devices, said a press release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. Mendiver also pled guilty to making false statements to FBI agents.
According to federal prosecutors, Mendiver had partnered with “a male juvenile Bakersfield high school student” to acquire explosive materials, use those materials to construct bombs, and then peddle those bombs over Instagram. The two would then mail the bombs to purchasers in different states.
Mendiver and the juvenile didn’t use Instagram just to communicate with clients. They also apparently used it to communicate with each other. In one message, Mendiver sent the young man a picture of titanium salute — described in the press release as “an explosive device” — and two videos of other explosives. The message also contained the statement “homemade kills all consumer.”
On June 1, federal authorities raided Mendiver’s Bakersfield home, where they confiscated “approximately 500 pounds of explosives and explosive materials.” A raid on the juvenile’s residence similarly yielded “another 500 pounds of explosives and explosive materials,” the press release stated.
Mendiver faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. He is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
The press release referred to Mendiver as a campus security supervisor at Arvin High School, but the New York Post described Mendiver as a “former” high school security guard. The Post did not indicate when Mendiver may have quit or been terminated.
Arvin High School is located in Arvin, California, about 20 miles southeast of Bakersfield. Whether the juvenile suspect has ever attended Arvin High School and whether he has been charged in the case are both unclear.
The Kern School District did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.
Just a few weeks ago, 44-year-old Arvin High School shop teacher Michael Parra was arrested on campus after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. A report about that arrest can be seen below:
Arvin teacher pleads not guilty to sex with minorwww.youtube.com
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