Man gets probation over protest bombs

Michael Michanowicz, a Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty in August to illegally possessing three destructive devices in downtown Pittsburgh as protests mounted in the city over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, was sentenced to three years’ probation by a federal judge.

Facing a 10-year prison sentence, Michanowicz, 53, avoided more time behind bars, instead getting time served during a sentencing hearing Monday. He will serve the first six months of his probation under house arrest.

Prosecutors said Michanowicz, riding a bicycle, planted three bombs he’d made and placed in backpacks. The bombs, which never exploded, were found the next morning. Police homed in on Michanowicz as a suspect and arrested him.

Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose for a prison sentence between 2 ½ years and three years. Ambrose’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment

Michanowicz’s lawyer, Ken Haber, said in an interview that the judge might have considered his client’s mental health issues and personal struggles.