May 24, 2007
Breaking news
Bruce Forest gets five year sentence
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by PATRICIA GAY
Bruce Forest, age 50, of Spring Valley Road, Weston, was sentenced yesterday, Wednesday, May 23, by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in setting off a series of explosions in 2005-06.
Judge Hall also ordered Mr. Forest to pay a fine in the amount of $5,000.
Weston Detective Carl Filsinger, who was present at the sentencing, said the judge spent about two and a half hours discussing the case with both sides before making a decision.
Mr. Forest will serve his time at the Otisville Camp at the Federal Correctional Institute in Otisville, N.Y., and will be credited for the 14 months he has already served waiting for trial. While in prison, he must complete 500 hours of drug and psychiatric treatment.
While on probation, Mr. Forest will be periodically tested for drugs and will not be permitted to have guns, ammunition, or explosives anywhere he is living.
Mr. Forest was arrested last year in connection with a series of explosions in Weston, Redding and Norwalk. A portable toilet and street sign were destroyed in those explosions. No one was injured.
On Feb. 12, Mr. Forest pleaded guilty to one count of maliciously damaging and destroying property by means of explosive materials.
According to documents filed with the court and statements made in court on Feb. 21, Mr. Forest used an assault rifle to detonate explosive materials that destroyed a portable toilet near the Saugatuck Reservoir in Weston.
In an exclusive interview earlier this month, Mr. Forest apologized for his actions and accepted responsibility for setting off the explosions. “I can’t blame this on anyone but myself. I did something stupid. I made a mistake and wasn’t thinking properly,” he said.
Mr. Forest said his judgment was impaired at the time of the incidents because he was under the influence of Subutex, a drug prescribed to him by a doctor to help wean him off painkillers, which he had become addicted to after an accident.
Mr. Forest said he later learned that Subutex is not supposed to be prescribed to patients who have had head injuries because it can make them delusional.
After he was arrested, Mr. Forest was weaned off Subutex in prison and said his mind cleared up. “I just can’t conceive of doing anything like that again,” he said.
In the 1980's, Mr. Forest was a record producer and was also involved in digital media and Internet piracy. He was dubbed "The Prince of the Darknet" in
the book Darknet: Hollywood’s War Against the Digital Generation,
written in 2005 by J.D. Lasica.
Detective Filsinger called yesterday’s sentence fair.
“Mr. Forest is a smart man and with some help he can get straightened out and move on with his life. He made a bad choice and did not understand or think of the consequences of his actions. His wife and children really need the community's support. After all, they did nothing wrong,” he said.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation together with the Connecticut State Police, the Weston, Redding, and Norwalk Police Departments, and the Aquarian Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Ring and Mark Rubino.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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