Eastern District of North Carolina | Wake County Man Convicted of 1995 Bombing at BTI Building Resentenced to More Than 37 Years in Prison

NEW BERN, NC — Stephan Bullis, the man convicted in a July 1995 bombing of what was then Business Telecom, Inc. (BTI)’s North Raleigh building, was again sentenced Friday to 450 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Today’s verdict will keep him in prison for another 10 years. Bullis, now 58, was originally convicted of six counts in connection with the incident after a court hearing in February 1996. At the time, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, followed by consecutive prison terms of 30 years and 235 months. Due to changes in the law, two charges were dropped in September 2022, leaving only the 235-month sentence in place. At that time, the court decided to reconsider the case.

“Stephan Bullis caused terror in the Raleigh community because the BTI pipe bomb came just months after the Oklahoma City bombing and at a time when the infamous ‘Unabomber’ was on the loose,” said US Attorney Michael Easley. “In the original sentencing, the judge noted the heinous nature of the crime, the number of victims and potential victims, and the defendant’s lack of remorse. The defendant knowingly risked harm to countless individuals and inflicted psychological trauma on numerous others. This new verdict holds Bullis responsible for his horrific acts and keeps him behind bars where he belongs.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Bullis shipped two pipe bombs on or about Friday, July 7, 1995. The first package, addressed to his then-wife – a BTI employee – exploded when she opened it on Monday, July November 1995. The blast destroyed most of his wife’s left hand, part of her right upper arm and caused numerous injuries Cuts, burns and bruises on her body. The bomb also injured a colleague nearby. The second bomb was found on July 25, 1995 in a disused United States Postal Service collection bin at the Crabtree Valley Mall. The second bomb was found 10 days after the arrest of Bullis, who did nothing to warn authorities about the second pipe bomb package, despite it being in a public place where an explosion had the potential to injure scores of people.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Mr. Bullis had begun an affair with a video rental employee and had recently increased the payout on his wife’s life insurance policy. In the months leading up to the bombing, he began buying books like The Poor Man’s James Bond and The Anarchist Cookbook, both of which contain designs and instructions for making explosive devices. In the month immediately prior to the attack, Bullis learned that his wife’s company had increased its work-financed life insurance policy and included a double indemnity clause in the event of accidental death. Statements from Bullis indicated that he believed the accidental death had to occur while his wife was at work for the double indemnity clause to apply.

Several victims of the bombing, including the defendant’s former wife and associates who were present, spoke or made statements at the resentencing, recounting the physical and psychological effects of the crime, which they are still experiencing to this day. As one victim said in a statement, “He acted in complete disregard for any people who would forever be affected by this crime…”

Bullis was convicted on six counts, including two counts of sending a pipe bomb with intent to kill another person, one count of setting fire to cause injury to another person, one count of attempted fire and two counts of using a destructive device during a violent crime . Bullis’ conviction was upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the US Supreme Court declined to review the case.

Michael Easley, US Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement following the sentencing by US District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Raleigh Police Department originally investigated the case and Assistant US Attorney Dennis Duffy and Assistant US -Special Prosecutor Casey Peaden handled the resentencing.

Relevant court documents and information can be found on the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina website or on PACER by searching Case #5:95-CR-00142-FL.