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Winchester resident Gerald Leonard Drake, 63, pleaded guilty to mailing threatening letters and planting a pipe bomb at the Cedar Creek Battlefield in Middletown during a reenactment event in 2017.
Prosecutors said that in the correspondence that was sent to multiple victims and at least two newspapers, Drake purported to be a member of Antifa and threatened harm, including referencing the violent Unite the Right riots in Charlottesville in August 2017 that led to a State of Emergency in Virginia.
Drake was a part of a reenactment unit that participated in annual events at the Cedar Creek Battlefield until he was unceremoniously removed from the unit in 2014, though he continued to volunteer with the organization.
Years later, in September 2017, a letter was sent to the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation addressed to “Cedar Creek Battlefield people” stamped with an Antifa symbol, claiming that the reenactment event “clearly celebrates the war to keep African-Americans in chains.”
The letter also cautioned that if the event was not canceled “the trouble Antifa would inflict on Cedar Creek Battlefield would make the riots that took place in Charlottesville in August look like ‘a Sunday picnic.’”
A month later, in October 2017, the reenactment was held as planned, and as the event was coming to a close, an unexploded pipe bomb was found in one of the merchant tents.
Members of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene to investigate and seize the explosive device, which was ultimately deemed safe by Virginia State Police.
The discovery of the bomb did; however, lead to all remaining reenactment activities being called off, and the area was evacuated.
Following that incident, prosecutors say that Drake “continued writing letters purporting to be sent by Antifa, including letters to the (Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation), its board members, an individual associated with Civil War reenactments, and news publications
Drake admitted in court that he manufactured the pipe bomb using a metal pipe nipple, metal nuts, a 9-volt battery, black and red wires, and a mercury switch. The bomb contained powder, Pryodez, and BBs and was placed “to instill fear and cause harm to those attending the reenactment,” according to prosecutors.
Additionally, Drake admitted to penning the threatening letters to the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation and various news outlets threatening violence and sexual assault against members and their families.
“Our highest priority at the Department of Justice is to keep our nation safe. (Drake) sought to intimidate and harm innocent people, and further, he tried to sow discontent by falsely claiming that the attempted bombing was politically motivated,” US Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh said.
When he is sentenced, Drake faces up to 10 years in prison.
“The mission of the FBI is to protect the American people,” Stanley Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Division, said.
“Those who seek to instill fear and cause harm will be investigated and held accountable for their actions,” he continued. “Drake's plea is representative of the FBI, state and local law enforcement's cooperative efforts to keep our communities safe.”
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