HARPER WOODS, Mich. – A man whose Warren home exploded in 2022, causing him to be put on probation, is now accused of violating the terms of his probation by having several firearms and explosive materials in his possession at a new home.
An ATF agent filed a new criminal complaint on Friday, Dec. 1 against 39-year-old Michael Liburdi, the man accused of causing an explosion at his Warren home near 8 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue in the summer of 2022. Liburdi lost his hand and forearm after an explosive device that he was handling went off in the house.
---> Footage here: Warren man lost hand when bomb exploded at his home, police say
After finding several other bombs, guns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition in the Warren home, Liburdi pleaded no contest to and was convicted of five counts of being a felon in possession. In the complaint filed Friday, officials say the explosion “appeared to be connected with Liburdi’s attempted production of marijuana oil via butane extraction.”
Liburdi was placed on probation, which precludes him from owning firearms. As part of his probationary sentence, officials conducted a compliance check in July at Liburdi’s new place of residence in Harper Woods, which he shares with his mother and sister. There, officials found several firearms around the home.
The criminal complaint claims there were several pistols, rifles and a shotgun located in the house and in the garage, where Liburdi was said to keep his things. Liburdi’s mother and sister both said they did not own any firearms in the home, and that any firearms likely belong to Liburdi, the ATF agent reports.
In addition to the firearms and an assortment of ammunition, an “ATF special agent and certified explosive specialist observed fuel and suspected explosive materials sitting in cardboard boxes and on shelves” in the garage, the complaint reads. “The suspected explosive materials were not stored in ATF-approved containers, which violates federal regulations.”
In total, there were nine items identified as “suspected explosive precursors” found in the garage, according to the complaint.
A federal search warrant was requested and executed, and included DNA testing of the firearms found on the Harper Woods property. According to the complaint, lab results and analysis showed it was highly probable that the DNA on the firearms belonged, in part, to Liburdi.
“There is probable cause to believe Michael Liburdi, a convicted felon who knew he was a felon, knowingly and intentionally possessed firearms in and affecting interstate commerce,” the complaint concludes. You can read the entire criminal complaint below.
It was not immediately clear if any new charges had been officially brought against Liburdi in the days after the complaint was filed. His current probationary sentence, issued in May, was scheduled to end in May 2025.