MORRIS COUNTY — A Denville man was charged with unlawfully possessing and storing explosives and explosive materials, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said.
Joseph Rizos, 37, of Denville, is charged by complaint with one count of unlawful receipt of explosive materials, one count of unlawful storage of explosive material, and one count of unlawful possession of plastic explosives without a detection agent.
Rizos had an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court on Wednesday, August 26, and was ordered detained.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, between April 2020 and June, Rizos purchased and received various explosive materials and other items, including fuels, fuses, precursor chemicals, and laboratory equipment from online retailers, which he stored at his residence in Denville.
On or about Wednesday, June 24, law enforcement searched Rizos’s residence and recovered from his bedroom, basement, and garage a home laboratory and laboratory equipment, detailed receipts for manufacturing multiple types of explosives, and a variety of suspected industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals that can be used to manufacture explosives. Investigators also recovered containers of suspected explosives from Rizos’s bedroom.
Rizos is charged with:
- Unlawful receipt of explosive materials
- Unlawful storage of explosive material
- Unlawful possession of plastic explosives without a detection agent
Counts one and three of the complaint each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Count two carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The investigation was led by special agents of the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Jeanne Hengemuhle; the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James M. Gannon; and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Smith and Vincent D. Romano of the office’s National Security Unit in Newark are prosecuting the case. Rizos is represented by defense attorney Brian J. Neary.
Editor’s Note: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and/or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
