Kansas City Woman Pleads Guilty to Possessing Unregistered Destructive Devices

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Mo., woman waived indictment and pleaded guilty in federal court today for knowingly possessing unregistered destructive devices.

Dara S. O'Connor, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of knowingly possessing two destructive devices that were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

According to court documents, on Feb. 12, 2026, O'Connor attempted to destroy by fire a warehouse located on Botts Road in Kansas City, Mo. Prior media reporting had indicated that the federal government attempted to purchase the warehouse. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") wanted to utilize the real estate to house illegal aliens during the adjudication of their removal proceedings. That real estate transaction, however, did not occur. News agencies were at the scene of the warehouse reporting on the fact that the real estate transaction did not go through when they observed and video recorded O'Connor approach the building. O'Connor threw two incendiary devices, colloquially known as Molotov cocktails, at the building. The incendiary devices had cloth wicks that were not lit when O'Connor threw the incendiary devices. After multiple attempts at throwing the incendiary devices at the building, both bottles shattered, and the flammable liquid contained in the devices spread over the surface of the building. O'Connor then used fire to ignite the flammable liquid that was on the building, which started a fire. O'Connor then attempted to spread the fire by squeezing a bottle that contained an accelerant which caused the accelerant to spray out of the bottle and spread the fire.

After initiating the fire, O'Connor then sat on a nearby curb and was observed using her cellular phone. The fire started by O'Connor went out after a few minutes. O'Connor then left the area in her vehicle.

Below are screenshots of O'Connor attempting to set fire to the warehouse.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, O'Connor paid full restitution in the amount of $43,612 to the victim of her crime.

Under federal statutes, O'Connor is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trey Alford and David Wagner and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Chlarson. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department.

Operation Take Back America

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.