Two Massachusetts men pleaded guilty on Apr. 15 in federal court in Boston to conspiring to damage a building at Harvard Medical School using a large commercial firework.
Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 21, of Bourne, each admitted guilt to one count of conspiracy to damage by means of an explosive. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley set sentencing for Aug. 4. The two were arrested and charged in November last year.
According to court records, surveillance cameras captured Patterson and Cardoza walking toward the Harvard Medical School campus early on Nov. 1 wearing face coverings and dark clothing. They were seen lighting roman candle fireworks before climbing over a fence into a construction area near the Goldenson Building and then onto its roof. At about 2:45 a.m., campus police received a fire alarm from an explosion on the fourth floor where research laboratories are located. Investigators determined that the pair detonated a large commercial firework inside a wooden locker within the laboratory.
Security footage also showed them visiting another floor before leaving through an emergency exit and fleeing separately after discarding their outer clothing. The defendants later returned to Wentworth Institute of Technology’s campus nearby after attending Halloween events there.
The charge carries up to five years in prison, three years supervised release, and fines up to $250,000; actual sentences will be determined by federal guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the plea alongside Ted E. Docks from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts advances community initiatives on civil rights and violence prevention according to the official website. The office maintains facilities at John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse in Boston with branches in Springfield and Worcester as reported by its official website. It is part of the United States Department of Justice according to official information and employs over 200 attorneys, paralegals, and professional staff according to its official site.
The office enforces federal laws through prosecutions including national security threats and civil rights violations as described online, serving all residents across Massachusetts according to its official site. In addition handling criminal prosecutions and civil litigation for the United States government with offices statewide promoting public safety since its founding in 1789 as one of America’s earliest such entities according to historical records provided by its website.