According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 23, 2019, the Somersworth Police Department received information from a confidential informant (CI) that Cortina possessed destructive devices at his Somersworth residence. The CI claimed Cortina showed him a “grenade” he had built. Officers applied for a search warrant for Cortina’s residence. While executing the warrant on September 27, 2019, officers located five suspected destructive devices in a duffle bag. Further analysis showed that one of the devices was an improvised explosive bomb which therefore should have been registered in accordance with Federal Firearms Registration.
“The improvised explosive bomb seized from the defendant’s home placed his neighbors and the community in danger,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “Thanks to good police work, law enforcement officers were able to secure the potentially-deadly device and prevent individuals from being harmed.”
“This investigation is an example of the hard work of ATF special agents and the excellent cooperation we have with our law enforcement partners,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Boston Field Division. “Because of this cooperation, we were able to seize these dangerous destructive devices and ensured they never found their way into our communities.”
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Somersworth Police Department with the assistance of New Hampshire State Police and FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.
The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.