Washington, D.C. (Map, News) - A D.C. jury convicted a Virginia man of carrying a loaded shotgun near the U.S. Capitol and trying to convert his pickup truck into a weapon of mass destruction.

Michael Gorbey, 38, of Rapidan, shut down part of Capitol Hill on Jan. 18, when police saw him approaching the U.S. Supreme Court building with a shotgun and a sword. Authorities later found an explosive device hidden in the back seat of the vehicle.

Gorbey, who represented himself during the three-week trial, argued that he was being framed by the federal government. He claimed that law enforcement officials planted the explosive device in his truck and argued that he was only carrying a walking stick at the time of his arrest.

The D.C. Superior Court jury took six hours to find Gorbey guilty on 14 charges. He faces up to 70 years in prison. His sentencing is July 25.

Gorbey told police he was going to an appointment with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. No one was injured in the incident, which caused gridlock for hours during the start of a busy Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

The traffic jam created heavy pressure to wrap up its search of the vehicle and the bomb squad failed to find the explosive in Gorbey’s truck, parked between the Capitol and Union Station, police officials said.

The vehicle was declared safe and stored on a government parking lot until criminal investigators filed a warrant to search the truck several weeks later, court records said. The explosive device was found wrapped in a piece of cloth behind the seat of the bench seat of the truck. The contraption was made of a canister of gunpowder duct-taped to a box of shotgun shells. The truck also held 750 rounds of ammunition.

The top three U.S. Capitol Police bomb squad officials were reassigned.

Gorbey has been in and out of prison since 1991 for convictions on larceny, domestic violence and illegal gun and drug charges. He once was questioned by the Secret Service after flying in restricted airspace over Camp David.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com