Michael Curtis Reynolds (born April 6, 1958) is an American who was convicted of terrorism-related crimes after a series of December 2005 online discussions with a US judge posing as a militant.
[4] His father-in-law described him as a "John Wayne-wannabe"[5] Reynolds discussed his wishes to bomb US-based oil pipelines with online acquaintances in October 2005, including in the Yahoo!
After becoming unemployed again, Reynolds was arrested in December 2005, after arranging to meet an online acquaintance, secretly FBI informant and controversial vigilante online-terrorist-hunter Shannen Rossmiller, who had promised him $40,000 to help him purchase fuel trucks to help destroy targets.
His case made further headlines when the Department of Justice subpoenaed both Reynolds and Microsoft Corporation for access to view his Hotmail eMail account, which revealed him discussing the need to leave the country after his attacks, and that he could be sentenced to death for treason.
The judge, having been informed that Reynolds had been held without contact with his mother or any means of financial aid, suggested that the state government might afford the cost to purchase him a suit of clothing for the trial.
Despite initial rejections from the judge who did not believe Reynolds to be mentally competent to defend himself, the petition was eventually granted[10] On July 13, 2007, he was convicted of plotting to blow up energy installations, attempting to enlist help on the internet, and possessing a hand grenade, and sentenced to 30 years in prison.