Montez Menifee was sentenced Monday to serve the maximum 87 months in federal prison for his part in a Chattanooga firebombing.
Judge Sandy Mattice called those involved "cold-blooded killers" and said Menifee is fortunate he was not charged with a more serious crime. He earlier pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of an explosive device.
Menifee admitted he threw a firebomb at a vehicle, but it did not explode.
However, another Molotov cocktail thrown by another individual at a house did go off and it burned a residence down.
Jocelyn Davenport said it was her duplex at 1602 E. 17th St. that went up in flames.
She testified Monday, "I and my family could have been killed. I lost everything I have. And I don't even know these people. I want to know why this happened."
She said the group apparently was mad at her son.
Attorney Robin Flores said Menifee had a minor role in the incident, taking it was the idea of Latricia Finley and was planned at her home. He said she drove the group to E. 17th Street.
Menifee was also ordered to pay $20,192 in restitution.
Authorities said they believe that several firebombings were in retaliation for a stabbing death and were gang-related.
Police searched a residence where Menifee had been staying and found several destructive devices consisting of glass beer bottles filled with gasoline and containing a rag in the mouth of the bottle. He said they were in an outside shed and under a porch at the residence.
Menifee has been convicted for several offenses, including felony theft in Georgia.