Wisconsin man sentenced for trying to buy nuclear material

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin political activist who admitted to trying to buy a lethal dose of a radioactive substance online was sentenced to two years of supervised release.

Jeremy Ryan, 31, also was sentenced Wednesday to time served, WISC-TV reported. Ryan has been in custody since his arrest in October 2018. He pleaded guilty last month to one federal count of attempting to receive a nuclear material. The plea was made about 10 days before Ryan’s trial was scheduled to start.

He was arrested after picking up a package that he bought from an undercover FBI agent on the dark web, according to court records.

Prosecutors alleged Ryan was looking for the radioactive material so he could kill someone, but his attorneys said he had cancer and intended to use the material to kill himself.

Ryan twice unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s congressional seat in Wisconsin.

Ryan is known to many as “Segway Jeremy” for riding a Segway scooter at state Capitol rallies.

STORY BY: ASSOCIATED PRESS