| Office of Information and Public Affairs | Washington, DC 20207 |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3, 2006 Release #06-105 |
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contacts: Patty Davis or Scott Wolfson, (301) 504-7601 or (301) 504-7051 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Pennsylvania fireworks chemical supplier was sentenced to federal prison today for violating a consent decree by selling illegal and highly dangerous fireworks components.
John Rasmus, of Hallstead, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 5 months in federal prison, 5 months home confinement and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge James M. Munley, Middle District of Pennsylvania. Rasmus pled guilty in October 2005 to three counts of criminal contempt for violating the terms of a previous illegal fireworks-related consent decree.
In the previous plea deal in November 2004, Rasmus, the owner of Pyrotek, pled guilty to selling illegal fireworks components in violation of federal law and agreed to a permanent injunction barring him from distributing fuels and oxidizers, the chemicals used to make illegal fireworks. Rasmus was sentenced to 1 year probation and fined $10,000 on those charges.
Within weeks of being sentenced in the previous plea agreement, Rasmus started up another company, NE Lab Supply, and continued selling illegal fireworks components, including fuels, oxidizers, cardboard tubes and fuses. Rasmus violated the consent decree and the terms of his probation when he made multiple sales of prohibited chemicals.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began investigating Rasmus in 2003 after reports that a home-made flash-powder device made from components sold by Pyrotek to a juvenile had exploded causing property damage. CPSC made buys of illegal fireworks components from Pyrotek and NE Lab Supply.
One Pyrotek customer died in 2004 after his hands were blown off by an explosion while he was making illegal fireworks in his home.
Under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, CPSC prohibits the sale of the most dangerous types of fireworks and the components intended to make them. The banned fireworks include various large aerial devices, M-80s, quarter-sticks, half-sticks and other large firecrackers. Any firecracker with more than 50 milligrams of explosive powder and any aerial firework with more than 130 milligrams of flash powder, is banned under federal law, as are mail order kits and components designed to build these fireworks.
The Pyrotek investigation was conducted by CPSC and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Consumer Litigation. The U.S. Attorney's office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case.