Who is Gerald Leonard Drake? Former Civil War reenactor gets 9 years in prison after planting pipe bomb and posing as Antifa
WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA: After he was let go from his Civil War reenactment unit, Gerald Leonard Drake, terrorized a related organization by planting a pipe bomb and writing anonymous letters in which he claimed to be "Antifa."
On Thursday, August 17, the 64-year-old was given a nine-year federal prison term after pleading guilty to possession of an unregistered explosive device and stalking in April.
Why was Gerald Leonard Drake let go from his Civil War reenactment job?
Prosecutors in the Western District of Virginia claimed Drake belonged to a reenactment unit honoring the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek in court documents and press statements. He was apparently expelled from the organization due to an "internal conflict," as reported by Law and Crime.
Even though Drake never returned as a reenactor, he did manage to remain associated with a similar organization, Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation (CCBF), between 2017 and 2018 as a volunteer.
When did Gerald Leonard Drake send the threatening letters?
Drake used the tragic riots at the far-right, white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as an opportunity to send threatening letters while posing as an "Antifa" member, demanding that they needed to cancel the upcoming Cedar Creek reenactment.
The author of a typewritten letter with a postmark of September 21, 2017, claimed that the event "clearly celebrates the war to keep African-Americans in chains" and that if it went on as planned, Antifa would cause trouble on the battlefield, making the Charlottesville riots look like "a Sunday picnic," as per Law and Crime.
On October 14, 2017, when the CCBF held a reenactment, an unexpired pipe bomb was found in one of the merchant tents, leading to the event being canceled.
"According to FBI explosives experts, several of the bomb’s contents, such as black powder, smokeless powder, and Pryodex, are explosives in and of themselves that are sensitive to friction, heat, impact, and sparks, and therefore are very dangerous to handle," wrote the authorities in a statement.
They added, "When confined in a container, such as a pipe with end caps used in this case, these ingredients combine to create an exceptionally destructive device."
Drake apparently continued to write vulgar, obscene letters, threatening people with violence and sexual assault while posing as an Antifa member.
What did United States Attorney Christopher R Kavanaugh say about Gerald Leonard Drake?
United States Attorney Christopher R Kavanaugh stated, "Gerald Drake’s attempts at sowing hatred and terror have been answered with 108 months in federal prison," according to Law and Crime.
He added, "Hate has no place in our community, and we are truly grateful for the steadfast efforts of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who unmasked the once-hidden identity of this defendant and ended his campaign of fear-mongering and intimidation."