A Placer County man who plotted to bomb the Nimbus Dam near Folsom received a 19-year prison sentence May 8.

Eric McDavid, 29, of Foresthill led a ring of conspirators who also were targeting a federal forest-genetics research center in El Dorado County, announced U. S. Attorney McGregor Scott. A pair of convicted co-conspirators, Lauren Weiner and Zachary Jenson, testified against McDavid. The trio was arrested Jan. 13, 2006 after weeks of FBI surveillance.

"McDavid, Jenson and Weiner took a number of substantial steps to accomplish the object of the conspiracy," Scott said.

During 2005 and 2006, a woman informant infiltrated the band, which authotiites say backed anarchist positions taken by the loose-kinit Environmental Liberation Front activist group.

Agents tracked them on Jan. 10, 2006 during visits to Nimbus Dam and to the Institute of Frorest Genetics in Camino. The informant reoported McDavid drew a map of the forest institute showing location of surveillance cameras. According to the informant, the group tried to make a bomb at their Dutch Flat cabin east of Auburn. She reported previously hearing McDavid and the others discussing targets including the dam, the forest institute, cell-phone towers and offices of the Communist Party.

"On Jan. 11, 2006 all of the defendants traveled to a store in Sacramento to purchase ingredients necessary for the creation of an explosive device, including three bottles of bleach, a hot-plate, glassware, a gasoline can, a car battery, potassium chloride, and three jars of petroleum jelly," said Lauren Horwood, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The trio was arrested Jan. 13, 2006 as they came out of a North Auburn store with additional materials authorites said would have assisted a bomb-making effort. Each of the adjudged conspirators is convicted of conspiring to bomb federal property. Weiner will be sentenced Thursday and Jenson on Aug. 7.

The court denied McDavid’s motion for release on bail pending appeal.

The Telegraph’s Roger Phelps can be reached at rogerp@goldcountrymedia.com, or post a comment at folsomtelegraph.com