Boise man who had at least 10 functional bombs is sentenced after plea deal
A Boise man accused in 2025 of possessing several functional bombs, with instructions on how to make more, has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Robert Ellis, 43, was charged with 10 felony counts of unlawful possession of destructive devices or bombs and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance in May 2025 after a narcotics investigation, according to an Ada County Prosecutor’s Office news release.
Ellis pleaded guilty to two counts of bomb possession in March, court records showed, as part of plea deal, online court records showed. He was sentenced on May 21 by 4th Distirct Judge Nancy Baskin to 10 years, with possible eligibility for parole after serving four years, the release said.
While serving a search warrant related to a drug investigation, Boise Police Department officers found “multiple suspected improvised explosive devices,” according to the release. The Boise Police Bomb Squad confirmed the devices were explosive; they were secured, taken to a remote location and destroyed.
The release said at least 10 of the devices had fuses for “detonation purposes.”
The prosecutor’s office said investigators also found additional materials related to making explosives, including over 50 downloaded manuals that detailed how to construct explosive devices. There were materials with instructions on how to build grenades designed to kill law enforcement personnel, the release stated.
During sentencing, Baskin dismissed the argument that the devices were used for purposes such as exploding targets and fireworks. “If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, walks like a duck ... it’s a duck,” she said, according to the release.
Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts said Ellis “knew exactly what he was building.”
“The presence of detailed instructions — including materials targeting law enforcement — combined with the number and sophistication of these devices made this an extraordinarily serious case,” Bennetts said in the release.
