Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced William Earl Siebert (47, Cape Coral) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing an unregistered destructive device. Siebert had pleaded guilty on June 16, 2022.

According to court documents, on August 27, 2019, Siebert was arrested for driving under the influence following a single-vehicle traffic accident on Del Prado Boulevard in Cape Coral. Later, when his vehicle was searched, officers found a pipe bomb attached to a yard-stake timer, which contained a quantity of explosive powder and an assortment of shrapnel. Court records showed that Siebert had previously been convicted of second-degree murder and served a 25-year state prison sentence in connection with that case.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cape Coral Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.