Mass. man gets 6 months in Fla. airport disruption

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Associated Press

MIAMI -- A Massachusetts man who disrupted holiday travel at Miami International Airport when bullet primers he had concealed in his luggage ignited was sentenced Tuesday to six months in federal prison.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, 38-year-old Orville Braham of Boston could have gotten nearly three years behind bars. But U.S. District Judge Paul Huck gave Braham a break, even as he described the Dec. 28 incident as "a very, very dangerous situation" that could have caused a tragic in-flight disaster.

"Something serious did happen. Fortunately, nobody got hurt," Huck said.

Braham, who works as a tow truck driver, pleaded guilty in February to illegal transport of explosive and hazardous materials. He was traveling from Boston to his native Jamaica with some 1,700 bullet primers concealed in the lining of his luggage, according to court documents. A bullet primer is the bottom casing that contains gunpowder and a firing pin, but no slug on top.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/03/2198204/man-faces-prison-in-fla-airport.html