Both men appeared in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on Friday to enter their guilty pleas. They have been released from jail on their own recognizance pending sentencing. A pre-sentencing investigation report is due to the court by Oct. 31, and a sentencing hearing will then be set, according to Jennifer Thornton, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
MORE: Former militia members, including Franklin man, plead guilty to explosives charges
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recommended a prison term of no more than two years , any fine that the court deemed to be appropriate and a $100 special assessment.
The second count of the indictment, possession of destructive devices, will be dismissed. However, the agreement does not bind any other local, state or federal prosecutions.
The pair allegedly considered using the same methods as the Boston Marathon bombers to make their explosive devices more lethal, according to the federal indictment unsealed in February. The indictment said that King and Goodman were members of the United Sheepdogs of Ohio militia group and that there were at least 12 members of this group living throughout the Southern District of Ohio.
The indictment said King and Goodman allegedly established a small subset of the militia group and referred to it as the “Special Projects Team.” They advocated that this team construct, use and stockpile explosives they called “crater makers.” They also allegedly conspired to possess and possessed bombs and parts necessary to make pipe bombs, the indictment said.
During an Oct. 12, 2018 trip to the Knob Creek Gun Range-Machine Gun Shoot in West Point, Ky., King allegedly purchased a wire assembly and inert grenades and suggested methods “(i)f we want to get real lethal,” to which Goodman commented would make them an elite group, according to the indictment.
At the Dec. 8, 2018 Sheepdogs’ Christmas party at King’s residence in Franklin, King allegedly showed Goodman a collection of parts necessary to make a destructive device, including a steel pipe with end caps, electronic matches, and wireless relays, according to the indictment.
Both men allegedly discussed in detail various improvised explosive devices and methods to construct them as well as the ease of placing them under a car seat or car engine wired into the breaking, the indictment said.
Also on that date, King displayed a carbon dioxide cartridge that was equipped with a fuse and green electrical tape that was filled with an unknown substance and was referred to as a “crater maker,” the indictment said.
On Jan. 5, 2019, King and Goodman allegedly tested their “crater makers” at Goodman’s home in Ripley. They discussed construction and ignition methods in detail. Goodman referenced the Boston Marathon as an example of a remote detonation system that worked.
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