Kula man, convicted felon, sentenced to 40 months for possessing explosive powder

Jess Kiesel Lee, 43, of Kula, Maui, was sentenced last week by US District Judge Jill A. Otake to 40 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for possessing, as a convicted felon, explosive powder. The announcement was made today by United States Attorney Ken Sorenson.

According to court records, Lee set off an improvised explosive device (“IED”)—a homemade firework—near Kaʻamana Street in Kula, on or before Aug. 7, 2024. Officers with the Maui Police Department later encountered multiple IEDs near that location.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized those IEDs and found Lee’s fingerprint on one device. The FBI determined that at least one of the devices contained a mixture of compounds consistent with the remnants of explosive firework powder.

A month later, the FBI searched Lee’s residence in Kula and located user amounts of methamphetamine, firearms, ammunition, and IEDs containing flash powder, a common explosive firework powder.

Lee admitted to knowingly possessing that explosive powder after he sustained multiple felony convictions in the State of Hawaiʻi, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaiʻi.

Judge Otake handed down the sentence, observing that fireworks are a danger to both individual operators and the general public. Otake specifically noted that Lee’s functioning his homemade firework near a wooded area on Kaʻamana Street placed the surrounding community in danger considering Maui’s susceptibility to wildfires.

“The protection and safety of our community is our highest priority,” said US Attorney Sorenson. “We have witnessed the serious harm and life-threatening danger presented by the possession and use of illegal explosives in our local communities, including illegal fireworks. We pledge to aggressively investigate, charge, and convict those who unlawfully construct, possess, or detonate explosives and explosive materials. We credit our steadfast partners at the FBI for their outstanding investigative efforts in this case.”

“Homemade explosive devices present a significant danger to our island communities,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The FBI—in coordination with our law enforcement partners—is committed to using every tool available to hold criminals accountable when they threaten public safety.”

Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing any “explosive” shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. 18 U.S.C. § 842(i)(1). “Explosives” include gunpowder, dynamite, blasting agents, fuzes (other than electric circuit breakers), detonators, smokeless powders, flash powder, and bulk salutes. 18 U.S.C. § 844(j); 27 C.F.R. § 555.202.

This case was investigated by MPD and FBI, with substantial assistance from the FBI’s Laboratory Division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant US Attorneys Jonathan D. Slack and Wayne A. Myers prosecuted the case.