Aram Brunson, the Newton resident charged last year in a scheme to conceal bomb making, was arrested on June 16 in Plymouth.

According to prosecutors, Brunson had been trying to make explosives in his dorm room at the University of Chicago in 2023 and lied to authorities in Chicago about the purpose of these explosives, saying that he was making flares for use with his friends when, in fact, he was an Armenian nationalist trying to teach Armenians how to make explosives for use against Azerbaijan.

Brunson was not arrested last year because he was in Armenia.

Brunson’s penalties: 36 months of probation, during which he’ll be allowed to travel and live in Armenia to finish his degree at the American University of Yerevan, and a small fine. He also has to stay in college, get mental health treatment, not own any firearms, not go anywhere other than Armenia, tell the court if his address changes and show up to court proceedings.

He must show college enrollment by Sept. 1, and he will be expected to provide transcripts showing that he did, in fact, complete the previous semester’s courses, and evidence of his enrollment for the future semester. Sentencing will be officially delayed until Dec. 1, although this will change if he does not actually enroll for the fall semester. He is expected to stay in Armenia and not return to the United States for the next three years while he completes his education.

The maximum penalty is up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The U.S. Attorney’s Office felt, however, that because he was a 19-year-old first-time offender who admitted guilt, “a form of punishment other than imprisonment is sufficient to meet the purposes of sentencing.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also said that during the course of their two-year investigation, they could not find evidence of any “credible and specific threats” he made toward anyone.

On Jan. 2, 2023, the Chicago Fire Department responded to a call from a University of Chicago dormitory. After extinguishing the fire, the fire department, along with the Chicago Bomb Squad, entered Brunson’s dorm room. They reportedly found numerous items used in the production of explosives.

Brunson initially said he was cooking on a hot plate, but then later told the FBI he was trying to make flares based off of YouTube video guides to create prank videos.

After obtaining a search warrant, the FBI found videos of Brunson discussing how to form an Armenian revolutionary group, including how to make and transport bombs. The videos were in Armenian, because he felt he would be less likely to get caught than if he had made them in English, which he claimed had been the downfall of another revolutionary group.

In return for this light sentence, Brunson waived his right to appeal.

Judge Patti Saris declined to consider correspondence sent by the government of Turkey about the case.