A Florida man has been convicted of planning to bomb Target stores in an attempt to crash the company's stock. 50-year-old Mark Barnett faces 40 years in prison after being convicted of attempted arson and the possession and making of unregistered destructive devices.
Prosecutors issued a statement saying that Barnett hired somebody to create bombs disguised as food packages and place them on the shelves of stores up and down the East Coast.
Barnett theorized that the company’s stock value would plunge after the explosions, allowing him to cheaply acquire shares of Target stock before an eventual rebound in prices. Barnett told the source, “If someone has to die so that I can make some money, so be it.”
Authorities discovered "pictures of the grocery items that he had turned into bombs, as well as leftover bomb components and articles describing stock options," when they searched his home, computer and cell phone. The bombs were "capable of causing property damage, serious injury, and death."
Barnett has a lengthy criminal history. He was convicted of multiple felony charges of sexual assault, and kidnapping, and was a registered sex offender.
Photo: U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida