Celia Alchemy Savage, woman in rural Georgia, has admitted to making pipe bombs as a hobby, the FBI said on Tuesday.
Savage made two pipe bombs, which were found at her home in Habersham County, located in the northeastern part of the state.
“This defendant said she made and detonated pipe bombs as a hobby,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates in a statement.
She added: “Making bombs out of heavy metal pipe, explosive powder, and fuses is a serious crime, not a hobby, that carries significant penalties.”
The pipe bombs, the FBI said, were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Registry, which is required by law.
Federal investigators looked into Savage’s case after neighbors reported seeing what appeared to be a bomb in her home. Agents then got a warrant and searched her residence.
They found two pipe bombs, ammunition, drug paraphernalia, small amounts of drugs, and more materials to manufacture bombs, said the FBI. She described the bomb-making area as a “lab.”
Savage told investigators that she made at least five to seven bombs in the past as part of her hobby.
Savage, who lives in Cornelia, was indicted in late June for making two unregistered pipe bombs, possessing the bombs, and being a prohibited person in possession of the bombs.
She could be sentenced to 20 years in prison and faces a fine of up to $500,000.
“The plea today is another reminder that ATF and our law enforcement partners will hold individuals accountable for any criminal behavior, especially that which threatens the safety of innocent civilians,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Shaefer said in a statement.
