MIT grad pleads guilty to possessing weapons of mass destruction
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate who prosecutors say stored a cache of explosives in his Las Vegas home pleaded guilty to weapons charges Thursday.
Nicolai Mork, 41, agreed to a sentence of four to 10 years in prison in exchange for his guilty plea on two counts: attempted unlawful acts related to weapons of mass destruction and possession of components of an explosive or incendiary device with the intent to manufacture.
Defense attorney Nicholas Wooldridge said Mork was “worn down” after behind held in the Clark County Detention Center on $8 million bail for more than a year while his case ground on and is prepared to serve his time in prison.
“I still think the case was overcharged,” Wooldridge said.
Mork remains under investigation on possible federal charges related to images authorities found on his computers, according to his lawyer.
In previous court hearings, prosecutors showed video found on one of Mork’s computers that depicted him attacking a woman inside his apartment, though he was not charged in connection with that incident.
Las Vegas police first tracked Mork in December 2016 after linking him to at least eight Molotov cocktails found near “seemingly random homes” in the southeast valley neighborhood where he lived, according to court records.
Detectives also discovered 264 pounds of a mixture of ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder, commonly referred to as Tannerite. The combination “could cause substantial damage to Mork’s residence and the houses around him,” his arrest report stated.
While investigating how Mork obtained the chemicals, detectives also found 17 hard drives on a desktop computer with 63 terabytes of data.
Prosecutors said Mork kept underskirt photos of women he had apparently taken with a hidden camera inside a rolling bag. Police also discovered “violent child pornography” and images of Mork having sex with “seemingly unconscious women,” the prosecutor said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.
