Ex-Navy Seal Gregory Vandenberg, 49, Booked on Federal Explosives Charges in Nm

Allegedly... A man booked as Gregory Vanderberg, 49, was taken into custody in New Mexico on July 3, 2025, on a federal transfer with no bond set, according to jail records. The booking lists a single felony under a general "all other offenses" category. The spelling in court and federal records is Gregory Vandenberg. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Vandenberg was charged federally after allegedly purchasing six large mortar fireworks and dozens of M-150 firecrackers at a travel center in Lordsburg, New Mexico on June 12, 2025, while traveling from El Paso to a "No Kings" protest in San Diego. Federal prosecutors said he told a store clerk he intended to throw the fireworks at police officers. KRQE News 13, KOB 4, and KFOX reported that investigators with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso assisted the case, and that Vandenberg is a former New York City police officer and Navy SEAL. In January 2026, a federal jury convicted Vandenberg of transportation of explosives with intent to kill, injure, or intimidate and attempted transportation of prohibited fireworks, according to KOB, ABC News, and Navy Times, and he faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing. Name, age, and case location align with the person named in federal filings and news coverage. The initial charges were allegations, and Vandenberg was presumed innocent until his conviction at trial.