Lynn man sentenced to prison for probation violation

SALEM – A former Lynn man who admitted in 2008 to having several pipe bombs in the basement of a Hollingsworth Street apartment and at a residence on Beyer Place was sentenced Thursday to serve nine months in jail after he was found in violation of his probationary term.Michael J. Balboni, 41, failed several random drug screens, failed to report to probation and did not inform his probation officer that he had moved from Lynn to Revere, which were all terms of his probation.Balboni stipulated to the violation while convincing Judge John T. Lu to sentence him to just nine months in jail for the violation.”I realize I took a step back. I have a family out there that needs me,” he said as he pleaded with the judge for leniency.But probation officer Jeff January recommended a year for the violations, saying it was “appropriate” based on his record.Balboni pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of an infernal machine and possession of a firearm without identification in Salem Superior Court.