The Bishop

The Bishop was the pseudonym of John Tomkins of Dubuque, Iowa, who sent several threatening letters and bomb-like devices to financial firms in the Midwestern United States in 2005 and 2007.
Letters
Beginning
Beginning in 2005, area known as The Loop. The bombs had vital parts missing, and are believed to have been meant as warnings. A typed letter accompanied each device, suggesting that if certain demands were not met more letter bombs would follow.
Theories
Security analysts who have examined "The Bishop"'s modus operandi speculate that he may be emulating the 1972 Charles Bronson movie The Mechanic. In the movie, Bronson portrays an assassin named "Arthur Bishop", who uses bombs to kill others. Bronson also leaves a note for an intended victim saying "Bang, you're dead"—the same text was found in notes sent by "The Bishop" in his suspicious packages.
Arrest of a suspect
On April 25, 2007, U.S. law enforcement agencies in Dubuque, Iowa, arrested John Tomkins of Dubuque, whom they believed to be "The Bishop." Authorities have identified the suspect as a 42-year-old former postal worker.
Jurisdiction
The mailings are said to have occurred in Des Moines, Iowa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois regions. The government chose the Northern District of Illinois as the venue for prosecution
. None of the offenses are alleged to have occurred in Dubuque, which is in the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Des Moines is in the territory of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Indictment
On September 18, 2007, a special federal grand jury returned a fifteen count indictment. The suspect was charged with ten counts of securities fraud, two counts of mailing threatening letters to further a scheme of extortion, two counts of possessing an unregistered explosive device, a finally, one count of using an explosive device in the commission of a crime.
Dismissals
On March 6, 2009, a federal judge dismissed the ten counts of securities fraud, ruling the charges did not apply to the suspect because no attempt was made to manipulate the stock market. The suspect still faced five federal destructive device charges.
Fresh charges
On April 30, 2009, prosecutors filed a new 13-count indictment based on the findings of a new grand jury. The indictment charged the former postal worker with two counts of possession of an unregistered destructive device, one count of using such a device while committing a violent crime, and ten counts of mailing a threatening communication with the intent to commit extortion. Tomkins remained held without bail at a Chicago federal prison.
Trial and conviction
On July 21, 2010, Tomkins backed out of a plea deal and filed a motion to act as his own attorney at trial. He told the court that he would plead guilty to the 12 lesser counts, in the hope that prosecutors would drop the 13th count to avoid a trial. That count, possession of a destructive device while committing a violent crime, carries a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison. Tomkins told the court, "If they insist on a trial, a trial they'll have. It's going to be lengthy. I'm going to defend myself to the best of my ability."
In 2012, Tomkins defended himself at trial in Chicago. He admitted sending the packages but insisted they would never have exploded. On May 4, 2012, after deliberating for about two hours, a jury found him guilty of nine counts of extortion and three counts relating to the pipe bombs, including one count of "building, possessing and delivering a destructive device". He faces 30 to 200 years in prison. He is to be sentenced August 6.

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