CINCINNATI — A man who was arrested by the FBI for allegedly possessing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) will be released from prison on an own-recognizance bond on Tuesday.
That bond means 20-year-old James Phillips did not have to pay a financial bond, but he must abide by certain restrictions. Those restrictions include surrendering his passport, reporting to pre-trial services, abiding by a curfew and following all other conditions for bond. His parents must also operate as his third-party custodians and he is forbidden from having access to chemicals or items that could be used for explosives.
He is federally charged with possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device), according to federal court documents.
The judge said she decided to release Phillips in part because his defense attorney, Scott Croswell, claimed in court that Phillips had permission to use explosives on private property.
"He's a young kid, he's 20 years of age, he's a Xavier High School graduate," said Croswell after court Tuesday. "He's never been in trouble, not even a hint of trouble in the past. He's worked from since the time he was in high school, and I think that when all of the evidence comes out, it will show that essentially, what the government said happened but the atmosphere of how it happened is different."
Croswell said Phillips never discharged a device on property he didn't have permission to be on.
"This is a hobby," said Croswell.
According to a release from the FBI after Phillips' arrest, a Lebanon Police Department patrol officer discovered Phillips' alleged IED on September 22, 2024, at an outdoor sports complex.
Court documents say the device was found at around 12:30 a.m. in a far parking lot of a large soccer complex in Lebanon.
When police found the device, they also encountered two men in a silver SUV, near where the device had been placed.
"The IED had wires running from a pile of white powder to a control switch," read the court documents.
The Butler County Bomb Squad tested residue and the powder before testing the IED's detonator; the IED detonator exploded while it was being tested, the court documents say.
That device was collected by the Butler County Bomb Squad and the components were tested, the FBI said.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force identified Phillips as the "primary suspect" who allegedly left the device at the sports complex; the FBI said the task force also connected Phillips to other incidents "where he is alleged to have possessed and detonated potential explosives."
Phillips' cell phone was determined to have been in the area of the soccer complex in Lebanon the same night the IED was discovered, according to the court documents. A search warrant of his Apple iCloud account revealed Phillips possessed multiple photos and videos implicating him, the court documents say.
"For example, on April 5, 2024, a video shows two unidentified males in a parking lot at night under streetlights with portable restrooms and a soccer net in the background," reads the document. "An unidentified male can be heard counting down to one and after one, an explosive device is detonated. In a separate video appearing to be from the same incident, the unidentified male recording can be heard saying 'James we gotta go' and 'James come on.'"
Videos also show a hole in the ground that was the result of the explosion, the documents say.
In other photos and videos found on the iCloud, the two men appear to blow up a car, court documents say. A video shows Phillips holding what appears to be a detonation device with a silver antenna; a voice can be heard counting down to one and afterward, a large explosion is heard in the distance. Photos on the iCloud showed a destroyed vehicle officials believe was blown up by a device, court documents say.
During the federal investigation, officials found Phillips purchased multiple chemicals and materials and shipped them to two locations where he stays — one in Mason, another in Oxford. Phillips' Amazon records also showed he purchased items and components that matched the description of items found from the IED detonated by the Butler County Bomb Squad, documents say.
In addition, documents say the iCloud account also contained photos from a shed in the backyard of the Mason home, where Phillips apparently had unknown chemicals and powders, in addition to racks for glass beakers and other equipment. More photos appear to show Phillip making explosive devices in that shed, the court documents say.
