Post Office Bomber Went Bankrupt After Defamation Lawsuit: Feds

HAMMOND, IN — A Munster man was indicted on federal charges Thursday in connection to a September explosion at an East Chicago post office that injured a pregnant postal worker. Eric P. Krieg, 45, an outspoken Republican activist and blogger, is accused of mailing a pipe bomb that exploded at the post office, causing the woman to suffer minor injuries.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said he believed the bomb's intended target was a city contractor. McDermott also said a city worker received a bulky package in a separate incident weeks after the explosion.

A grand jury indicted Krieg on five counts Thursday:

• Making an Unregistered Destructive Device
• Mailing a Destructive Device
• Malicious Use of Explosive Materials
• Possessing a Destructive Device In Furtherance of a Crime of Violence
• Mailing a Threatening Communication

The indictment alleges that from 2012 to August 2017, "Krieg engaged in a series of online postings and communications concerning other residents of Northwest Indiana," making statements on multiple online forums, including a blog that he controlled. In 2013, Krieg was sued for defamation in Lake County, Indiana, based on statements he made on the blog.

The pipe bomb that was mailed Sept. 6 was addressed to "Victim 1," identified as the attorney who represented the plaintiff in the 2013 defamation case, according to the indictment. Krieg and Victim 1's client ultimately agreed to a settlement in the lawsuit requiring Krieg to pay $45,000 and post an apology on his blog. After the suit was filed, Krieg also filed for bankruptcy, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Indiana's Northern District.

Pipe Bomb At Post Office Targeted City Contractor: Indiana Mayor

Post Office Bombing: FBI Releases Sketch of NW Indiana Suspect

Explosion At Northwest Indiana Post Office Injures Worker: Report

In addition to injuring the postal worker, referred to in the indictment as "Victim 2," Krieg is accused of targeting a third victim with a suspicious package that was mailed Sept. 29, weeks after the post office explosion.

"When individuals use dangerous, explosive devices as the means to commit or attempt to commit violent acts, those individuals will be held accountable for their actions," United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, Thomas L. Kirsch II said in a statement this week. "We will continue to partner with our Federal, State and Local law enforcement agencies to vigorously investigate and prosecute all manner of violent crime."

Krieg was arrested in October following an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; United States Marshal’s Service; East Chicago Police; Hammond Police; Indiana State Police; Munster Police; and Porter County Sheriff’s Department.

Krieg ran unsuccessfully as a a Republican candidate for the Lake County surveyor post in 2012.

Eric Krieg/U.S. Attorney