This was allegedly intended to demonstrate the letter writer's ability to easily conceal an explosive device inside the store.

It wasn't an idle threat. Police found and managed to disable a functioning pipe bomb inside the Huntington Home Depot's lighting department on October 15, 2012.

The ransom letter stated that unless Home Depot paid $2 million, the writer would shut down the store's Long Island locations on the day after Thanksgiving by setting off pipe bombs loaded with roofing nails.

The would-be bomber later sent another letter and made phone calls which police say they traced to a prepaid cell phone found in Mr. Sheehan's possession.

The F.B.I.'s acting assistant director-in-charge, Mary Galligan, said in a statement that  whatever Mr. Sheehan's motivation for the plot, his "scheme caused economic loss, was a huge drain on law enforcement resources, and threatened the safety of untold numbers of innocent people, any one of which is unacceptable."

If he is convicted, Daniel Sheehan could face 30 years to life in prison.

The complaint against Mr. Sheehan is embedded below.

An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the U.S. Attorney was Robert Nardoza. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York is Loretta E. Lynch.

That is the real possibility presented by new Massey Knakal executive vice president Benjamin Fox in a new video for The Real Deal. He suggests Herald Square, 23rd Street and somewhere near Bloomingdale's uptown as perfect spots for a new, full-scale Walmart store. The discussion may be speculative , but given the Manhattan successes of JC Penney, Best Buy and Target, it is almost surprising there is not a Walmart in Manhattan yet. As Fox puts it, "Where does an elephant sit? Anywhere it wants."

And even if Walmart may not be great for workers or even consumers, Fox's colleague (and our columnist) Bob Knakal points out that a store of its magnitude can transform a neighborhood, drawing in more people. That boosts traffic, profit and rents. (Granted, rent increases are only good if you can afford them, which most mom-and-pops can't. But hey, more tax revenue, too!)

So, we can expect half-a-dozen new Walmarts tomorrow, right? Not exactly. Fox reveals that he has seen a memo from some Walmart higher-ups "indicating that this is way, way, way -- that everyone is getting way ahead of themselves." Tell that to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.

Kanye West may sample Wicked on his new album.

You should become a journalist! This film clip from the 1940s says so!

Home Depot ain't playin', yo.

Why do we need a reality show to facilitate nepotism? Isn't it doing just fine anyway?

New York art critic Jerry Saltz is blogging his stint on Work of Art.

Ted Koppel's son died from drugs and alcohol.

Lou Reed will be at the Mermaid Parade.

Ben Folds and Nick Hornby are working on an album, which sounds about right.

José Saramago, Nobel-Prize winning author, passes away.

Bloomberg was offered the goggles by a Home Depot manager as the mayor and other officials used a small electric saw to cut a piece
of wood (the Home Depot version of a ribbon-cutting ceremony).

Later, the mayor was presented with a orange apron bearing his name.
The mayor happily put it on then walked over the his podium and fielded off-topic questions from reporters.