OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man who plotted to blow up Target stores along the East Coast has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
Authorities said Mark Charles Barnett of Ocala thought the explosions would cause the company's stock to plunge, allowing him to cheaply acquire shares.
Court records show Barnett was sentenced earlier this month in federal court in Ocala. The 50-year-old was convicted in July of attempted arson, possession of an unregistered firearm and making an unregistered firearm.
Barnett was arrested in February 2017 after he offered to pay another man $10,000 to place at least 10 "improvised explosive bombs" disguised in food-item packaging on store shelves from New York to Florida. The man instead gave the devices to federal agents.
Barnett also is a registered sex offender.
