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Man Faces 40 Years For Plotting Bombs At Target Stores

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - An Ocala man has been convicted of planning to place bombs on the shelves of Target stores in an attempt to drive the company's stock price down.

A jury found Mark Barnett guilty of attempted arson and other charges, according to Federal prosecutors.

Barnett faces up to 40 years in prison at his scheduled sentencing in October.

Authorities say Barnett offered a confidential source $10,000 to place homemade bombs disguised in food packaging on Target store shelves from Florida to New York.

Investigators found bomb-making materials at his house. The devices never made it to the stores since the confidential informant turned them over to authorities.

Authorities say he had purchased options on Target stock that would pay out when the share price dropped.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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