A Chatham County man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for planting and detonating a bomb that caused significant damage to a woman's home. Stephen Glosser, 38, from Savannah, pleaded guilty to charges of stalking and using an explosive device to commit another felony offense. The sentence was announced by Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker handed down the sentence, which includes 240 months in prison, $507,781 in restitution to two victims, and three years of supervised release after completion of the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The level of malevolent violence in this case is astounding, and it’s truly fortunate that there were no deaths as a result of this horrific crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons. “This successful prosecution is a credit to the outstanding investigative work of the ATF and our state and local law enforcement partners.”
The incident occurred on January 13, 2023, when emergency services responded to an explosion at a Richmond Hill home with two people inside. An investigation led to Glosser's arrest along with a co-conspirator and resulted in a federal indictment in March 2024.
Glosser's guilty plea detailed his plans with his co-conspirator to harm the victim through various means including shooting arrows into her door and releasing dangerous animals into her home. They also conspired to mail dog feces and dead rats to her residence.
Glosser located the victim’s address using internet searches based on an image she had shared with him. His co-conspirator purchased exploding targets online which they used to construct the bomb that damaged the home. Afterward, Glosser hired a cleaning service to remove traces of bomb-making materials from his residence.
The co-conspirator was arrested in Louisiana on unrelated charges and awaits prosecution in Georgia. He remains innocent until proven guilty.
“This case demonstrates the devastating impact of violent criminals who stop at nothing to terrorize their victims," said Beau Kolodka from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). "ATF will aggressively pursue those who use explosive devices as tools of destruction."
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey added: “This case serves as a stark reminder that those who use terror and threats will face the full force of the law... Our commitment to ensuring public safety remains steadfast.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies including Bryan County Fire and Emergency Services, Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, ATF, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, Savannah Fire Department, Grant Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office; prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney L. Alexander Hamner for Southern District of Georgia.