It’s difficult to imagine anything further removed from the legitimate interests of the federal government than a young woman blowing up old toilets in the middle of the woods. Yet, that is the very behavior that federal agents used to get a search warrant for the home of Celia Savage where they claim they discovered “pipe bombs,” a pistol, and some unknown quantity of drugs.
Federal agents from the FBI and ATF claim that Savage admitted to producing explosives to detonate and that videos posted by her on YouTube and statements on Facebook confirm this is her hobby. Moreover, Savage’s Facebook profile makes clear her dislike of government and love of firearms, explosives, and self-defense. It is not clear what exactly brought Ms. Savage to the attention of the federal government, or what exactly caused federal agents to become urgently interested in exploding toilets. It appears likely that Savage’s political speech and anti-government sentiments played at least some part in the government’s decision to search her home and arrest her. While federal agents are now claiming that Savage admitted to knowing that producing the explosives was illegal—assuming it was in fact illegal—her very public discussion of her activities online would seem to contradict such a belief.
Although federal law enforcement and federal prosecutors have enormous resources at their disposal, they often overreach in their charging decisions and violate citizens’ constitutional rights in the course of their investigations. In a country with as many gun enthusiasts as the U.S., the federal government’s zealous prosecution of firearms offenses often puts it at odds with ordinary Americans simply exercising their constitutional right to bear arms.
Our firm has successfully represented numerous clients in both federal and state court on firearms charges including possession of illegal firearms, unauthorized firearm sales, international firearms trafficking, and felon in possession of firearms. Our results include “not guilty” verdicts at trial, dismissals of charges, as well as some highly favorable plea agreements. We are aggressive advocates with the experience needed to know how to effectively attack the government when our clients’ lives are on the line.
