MOBILE, Ala. — An Alabama man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to making two pipe bombs and asking a tenant to blow up the vehicle of another man, who was dating his ex-wife, court records show.
According to court records filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Southern Division, Charles Salvatore Zito, 78, of Theodore, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possession of a destructive device.
Zito could face from 15 years to life in prison when he is sentenced, WALA-TV reported. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a prison term at the low end of advisory guidelines, according to the television station.
Theodore man admits to making pipe bombs, seeking help blowing up truck https://t.co/jCv8IMn6uv
— FOX10News | WALA (@FOX10News) April 14, 2023
According to court records, Zito initially told prosecutors that he planned to use the explosive devices to blow up an old shed. However, he later admitted that he was unhappy that his wife had left him.
Zito allegedly stated that he fantasized about blowing up the truck of the man who was with his former wife, WRKG-TV reported. The tenant refused and took the pipe bombs, hiding them at a neighbor’s house across the street.
When investigators interviewed Zito in November 2020, he allegedly said that he had been previously convicted in Florida for placing a hand grenade in the mail in 1989, court records show. He was convicted the following year and served at least 10 years in prison.
According to court records, Zito admitted to building the two pipe bombs but was “adamant” that he did not intend to harm the man who was in a relationship with his ex-wife.
