A Missouri man entered a guilty plea this week in federal court to charges stemming from a pipe bomb for drugs transaction in Columbia last year.

Donald K. Novy, 35, of Dittmer, Mo., pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of an
unregistered destructive device and being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, Steven D. Weinhoeft, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced Friday.

Novy faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release on each charge.

Court documents reveal that in November 2018, Novy agreed with another person to
manufacture a pipe bomb and bring it to Columbia in exchange for methamphetamine. Unknown to Novy, the other person was working with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was accompanied by an undercover ATF special agent.

Novy accepted fake meth in exchange for the pipe bomb and was promptly arrested. Upon his arrest, the ATF found a Taurus semi-automatic pistol in Novy’s possession.

Novy later admitted using meth on a daily basis, including the morning of the transaction.

Novy remains in custody pending sentencing set for Feb. 11, 2020.