Jury convicts felon for possessing firearms and pipe bombs

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas

A federal jury has convicted a 35-year-old Corpus Christi resident for felon in possession of a firearm and possessing unregistered pipe bombs, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The jury deliberated for approximately 90 minutes before convicting Robert Spencer following a three-day trial.

The jury heard that law enforcement investigated a call reporting a shooting in the area. During the investigation, authorities approached Spencer, who fled into his home while appearing to be armed. This led to a standoff lasting an hour, during which law enforcement heard two gunshots from inside the home as Spencer yelled for them to leave. Eventually, Spencer exited his home without a firearm and law enforcement arrested him.

Authorities executed a search warrant for Spencer’s home and found six pipe bombs and three firearms, along with boxes of ammunition, in the attic. They also discovered another firearm next to Spencer’s home, where authorities initially spotted him. Spencer admitted to law enforcement that he personally assembled the pipe bombs and claimed ownership of the firearm found next to the house.

Testing confirmed the pipe bombs were destructive devices as defined by the law. In addition, the pipe bombs were not properly registered to Spencer in the National Firearms Registration and transfer record.

During the trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury that Spencer was unaware of the firearms found in his attic and outside his home. They contended that the pipe bombs Spencer admitted to making were not destructive devices. The jury rejected these claims and found him guilty as charged.

As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms by federal law.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos presided over the trial and set sentencing for Feb. 4, 2025.  At that time, Spencer faces up to 15 years in federal prison for possession of firearms and up to 10 years for possession of unregistered pipe bombs and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

The Corpus Christi Police Department with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S Attorneys Patrick Overman and Ashley Martin prosecuted the case with the assistance of Paralegal Rachel Gonzales.