A Whitehall man who threatened to attack CIA headquarters and the Pennsylvania Treasury Department has admitted to federal charges involving his arsenal of improvised grenades, homemade bombs and various other bomb-making materials, fuses and detonators.
Evidence also indicates he had access to a flamethrower, a rocket launcher and a machine gun.
Kurt Cofano, 32, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to possession of unregistered destructive devices.
He had been indicted last year.
Police said he had the bombs on July 9 and 10, 2020, along with marijuana and various guns, including a rocket launcher. He had been building the bombs since May.
All told, federal agents said he had 12 guns, 14 improvised grenades and nine bombs labeled “M101.” Federal prosecutors said Cofano had previously issued threats on social media to blow up the state Treasury Department and murder CIA employees in Washington, D.C., among other threats.
The case began on July 9 when a Whitehall resident called police to say he was concerned about his former friend, Cofano, because he thought Cofano had become addicted to meth.
In text messages and videos sent to the friend, which were forwarded to the Whitehall police, Cofano said, “The friend you knew died a year ago. What remains is a demon you don’t want anything to do with.”
He also said he was contemplating ending his life and planned to “take a stand against a corrupt government.” If his unemployment check didn’t come the next day, he said, he would drive to Harrisburg, kill everyone in the Treasury Department and then be shot by police. In addition, he said he would drive to Washington and kill as many CIA employees as possible “before I’m gunned down.”
The videos sent to the friend showed Cofano mixing chemicals and using a flamethrower.
Whitehall police had been to Cofano’s house a month earlier after he had issued threats on social media, which also attracted the attention of the FBI. At that time, Cofano said he was just “venting,” according to court records.
After receiving the July 9 information, Whitehall police contacted the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, then requested a mental health warrant known as a 302 from the Allegheny County Health Department to have Cofano committed as a danger. An alert was issued to find him.
Police located his car in Dormont. As Cofano drove into Mount Lebanon, prosecutors said, he waved the police over to him on Washington Road.
When officers approached, they saw weapons in the car. Cofano said he had M-80-type devices in the car as well as guns.
The officers obtained a search warrant for the car. The county bomb squad found detonators, triggers, fuses, rifles, ammunition and pot.
Police took Cofano to a hospital for a psychiatric exam while federal agents and the bomb squad searched his house.
That effort turned up the 14 grenades and other devices along with other bomb-making material. Agents and police also found three assault rifles, including one mounted with a rocket launcher, a shotgun, other rifles and three handguns. The law officers also recovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV said he will sentence Cofano in December. He remains in custody.
First Published: July 28, 2021, 8:01 p.m.
