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NORFOLK, Va. (AP) 鈥� A Virginia man pleaded guilty Friday in a federal case that accused him of stockpiling the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history and of using then-President Joe Biden鈥檚 photo for target practice.

Brad Spafford pleaded guilty in federal court in Norfolk to possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for December.

Federal authorities said they seized about 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices last fall at Spafford鈥檚 home in Isle of Wight County, which is northwest of Norfolk.

The investigation into Spafford began in 2023 when an informant told authorities that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend and member of law enforcement, told authorities that Spafford was using pictures of then-President Joe Biden for target practice and that 鈥渉e believed political assassinations should be brought back,鈥� prosecutors wrote.

Two weeks after the assassination attempt of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2024, Spafford told the informant, 鈥渂ro I hope the shooter doesn鈥檛 miss Kamala,” according to court documents. Former Vice President Kamala Harris had recently announced she was running for president. On around the same day, Spafford told the informant that he was pursuing a sniper qualification at the local gun range, court records stated.

Numerous law enforcement officers and bomb technicians searched the property in December.

Spafford stored a highly unstable explosive material in a garage freezer next to 鈥淗ot Pockets and frozen corn on the cob,鈥� according to court documents. Investigators also said they found explosive devices in an unsecured backpack labeled 鈥�#NoLivesMatter.鈥�

Spafford has remained in jail since his arrest last December. U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen ruled against his release last January, writing that Spafford has 鈥渟hown the capacity for extreme danger.鈥� She also noted that Spafford lost three fingers in an accident involving homemade explosives in 2021.

Spafford had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in January. Defense attorneys had argued at the time that Spafford, who is married and a father of two young daughters, works a steady job as a machinist and has no criminal record.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Swartz said at Spafford鈥檚 January detention hearing that investigators had gathered information on him since January 2023, during which Spafford never threatened anyone.

鈥淎nd what has he done during those two years?鈥� Swartz said. 鈥淗e purchased a home. He鈥檚 raised his children. He鈥檚 in a great marriage. He has a fantastic job, and those things all still exist for him.鈥�

Investigators, however, said they had limited knowledge of the homemade bombs until an informant visited Spafford鈥檚 home, federal prosecutors wrote in a filing.

鈥淏ut once the defendant stated on a recorded wire that he had an unstable primary explosive in the freezer in October 2024, the government moved swiftly,鈥� prosecutors wrote.