Gaithersburg teen pleads guilty in bomb-making case
Teen stole police letterhead so Bethesda man could buy body armor
A Gaithersburg teen who wanted to join the military pleaded guilty Friday to two felony explosives charges in a high-profile case that involved more than 50 pounds of chemicals, assault rifles, a school faculty list, and a map of Camp David marked with a presidential motorcade route found in a Bethesda man's bedroom.
Patrick Serafin Yevsukov, 17, pleaded guilty to two felony charges of manufacture or possession of a destructive device with incendiary intent, misdemeanor theft for stealing police letterhead and unauthorized use of a computer during an internship with county police.
"We believe the plea agreement is fair," said Yevsukov's attorney, Rene Sandler. "Obviously we're disappointed that [the case] didn't get handled in juvenile court." According to sentencing guidelines, Yevsukov, who does not have a criminal record, faces up to four years in prison, Sandler said.
Sandler said that Yevsukov, a senior at Gaithersburg High School, has a 4.1 weighted grade point average and hopes to go to college.
Yevsukov was charged as a juvenile last summer with helping to make and detonate pipe bombs with Collin McKenzie-Gude, 19, of Bethesda.
Montgomery County Assistant State's Attorney Peter Feeney said Friday that Yevsukov admitted that in July he stole the police letterhead and gave it to McKenzie-Gude. He understood that McKenzie-Gude planned to use it to buy body armor and equipment restricted to law enforcement officers, Feeney said.
Feeney also said that Yevsukov told investigators that another student at St. John's College High School in Northwest Washington, D.C., gave him a confidential faculty directory. Yevsukov used a police computer to search records for police history at teachers' homes.
On at least two occasions between mid-May and June, Yevsukov and Collin McKenzie-Gude used pipe bombs they made from steel pipes and a propellant, Feeney said.
McKenzie-Gude brought the bombs "already assembled or sometimes in pieces" to Yevsukov's home on Goshen's Edge Court.
Sandler prevented Yevsukov, who is still a juvenile, from speaking with the media Friday. His parents, Meghan and Serafin Yevsukov and a woman identified as his maternal grandmother, attended the hearing and declined comment. Yevsukov lives with his mother.
His sentencing is scheduled for May.
McKenzie-Gude's attorney, Steven D. Kupferberg said that Yevsukov appears to be "being formed as a witness" against his client.
McKenzie-Gude was indicted in November for federal charges of possessing an unregistered explosive device and producing false identification documents.
During the July raid on his home, investigators found assault rifles, two bulletproof vests loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, and more than 50 pounds of bomb-making chemicals and timers. They also found a map of Camp David, a presidential motorcade map and counterfeit identification cards, including one from the CIA and another identifying him as a federal contractor, according to Feeney.
McKenzie-Gude also faces county charges of assault and attempting to carjack a 78-year-old man at White Flint Mall the day investigators searched his home.