DENVER – A Loveland veteran who pleaded guilty to five federal firearms and explosives charges earlier this year after four pipe bombs were found at his home in May 2020 to the roughly 17 months of time he has already served and three years of supervised release.
Bradley Bunn’s attorneys had asked for leniency from U.S. District Judge for Colorado Christine M. Arguello ahead of Bunn’s Wednesday sentencing in Denver, arguing his military combat service in the U.S. Army caused his mental health to decline and made him delusional, which led to him making the bombs.
When Bunn agreed to plead guilty to the one count of making a firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act and four counts of possessing an unregistered destructive device in March 2021, the government said it hoped a judge would follow the recommended range of a sentence of 30 to 37 months.
The government opposed the more lenient sentence, arguing Bunn had loaded his truck up with high-capacity rifle magazines, a knife, ballistic plates and a handgun along with the homemade pipe bombs and that he posed a danger to society.
The bombs and other materials were discovered as he readied to head to an armed protest at the state Capitol in Denver. Bunn also made statements about turning a SWAT team, should one breach his home, into “manageable sized parts” that could fit into Slurpee cups.
Days after his arrest, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an alert to FBI agents and local law enforcement saying a “white supremacist extremist instant messaging group” was staging in Fort Collins in response to the raid.
The sentencing and judgment documents for Bunn’s sentence show he has served 530 days in custody thus far and was sentenced for that time served. He faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count, but his plea agreement recommended the 30-37-month range.
In addition to the time served, Bunn was sentenced to the years of supervised release for each count to be served concurrently.
As terms of his supervised release, he will not be allowed to commit a crime and cannot possess any controlled substances. He will also have to cooperate in DNA collection with his probation officer.
As special conditions of his release, he will have to participate in a mental health treatment program, submit to searches at any time, not use social media unless notifying his probation officer, and not visit any internet sites or have any contact with any anti-government movement or militia group, including the Three Percenters, Oath Keepers and Boogaloos, according to court records.
He will also have to make special assessment monetary payments of $500, according to the records.
According to The Associated Press, Bunn’s attorney acknowledged he had been radicalized during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, and Bunn said he thanked God that he had not hurt anyone with the bombs or other weapons.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.