Security: Los Angeles - Man pleads guilty to planting pipe bombs in residential neighborhood.

U.S. Attorney’s Office 
Central District of California

RIVERSIDE, CA—A man who left pipe bombs in a residential neighborhood in Palm Springs near the residence of an ex-girlfriend—and who became a fugitive after escaping from custody in a related case—pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of possession of an unregistered destructive device.

Edward Allen Costa, 49, who resided in Desert Hot Springs but was a fugitive for a time last year, pleaded guilty to the felony charge before United States District Judge Virginia A. Phillips.

Costa pleaded guilty in 2012 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to a year in prison and was finishing his sentence at a halfway house in Rubidoux when he walked away from the facility in August 2013. The fugitive was taken into custody in November by the Banning Police Department and the FBI.

While a fugitive last year, Costa was indicted for possessing six pipes bombs that were left in a Palm Springs neighborhood from May 8 through May 12, 2012. Prior to being indicted for the pipe bombs, Costa was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a .357-magnum revolver, as well as 106 rounds of ammunition.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case involving the pipe bombs. The Palm Springs Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department provided substantial assistance.

As a result of today’s guilty plea, Costa faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Judge Phillips is scheduled to sentence Costa on July 14.