Joseph Marcus Silva, 28, of Porterville, pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a silencer and manufacturing destructive devices, including a 3D-printed Claymore-type mine and M-67 grenade, and faces up to 10 years in prison. (Shutterstock)
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Joseph Marcus Silva, 28, of Porterville, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of unlawfully possessing a silencer and manufacturing three destructive devices, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said.
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Court documents showed that Silva used a 3D printer to create two of the devices, one resembling a military Claymore mine. This device was designed to project lethal shrapnel, marked with the ominous phrase “FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY.”
The second 3D-printed device was fashioned after the military M-67 grenade, while a third destructive device was assembled using a glass tube filled with flash powder and BBs, equipped with a fuse. Silva was also found in possession of an unregistered silencer.
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Silva was previously ordered detained on grounds of evidence linking him to firearms and drug trafficking.
He is set to be sentenced on Jan. 21, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the four charges.
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