An ex-US Army paratrooper caught with two stolen hand grenades got a big break yesterday from a Manhattan judge who cited his Iraq combat bravery and its lasting trauma on him.
Anthony Cibelli, 25, of The Bronx, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, a full year less than the minimum he faced under a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
With credit for time served and good behavior, Cibelli could be sprung in a little more than 90 days.
Judge Harold Baer Jr. said that while “we really can’t have a country where people bring back hand grenades from war zones,” Cibelli desperately needs treatment for stress and trauma unavailable in jail.
According to the feds, Cibelli told the FBI he had assembled a small arsenal of explosives and firearms in his Bronx home for “security somewhere down the line if anything were to happen.”