CHICAGO — An Indiana locksmith admitted Wednesday that he supplied explosives to a man who boasted of mob ties and who is accused of setting off the blast that wrecked the offices of a video poker company.

Kyle Knight, 44, of Merrillville, Ind., also admitted taking part in a series of jewelry store robberies and agreed to cooperate with the investigation, which began with high-profile raids on meeting places of the Outlaws motorcycle club but is evolving into an organized crime case.

Knight is expected to provide key testimony as federal prosecutors delve deeper into the ring that operated in Chicago's western suburbs.

He admitted in a signed plea agreement presented to U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman that he furnished explosives for Samuel Volpendesto, 84, one of two men charged in the February 2003 bombing that ripped apart the suburban Berwyn offices of C&S Coin Operated Amusements.

Prosecutors say the blast was a message from the mob to the company to quit horning in on its $13 million monopoly on west suburban gambling.

Defense attorney Alexander Salerno denied at an August hearing that Volpendesto or co-defendant Mark Polchan, 41, had any ties to the mob.

Knight, who has been jailed since his arrest by federal agents last year, stood by clad in a prison jumpsuit as Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet S. Bhachu outlined the government's case.

In his plea agreement, Knight said he spoke with Volpendesto, described by prosecutors as the former operator of a Cicero strip club, at a Fourth of July party in 2002. Knight said he supplied the fireworks.

“Volpendesto had bragged to the defendant about his associations with organized crime, and had also engaged in other criminal activities with the defendant, including robbery,” according to Knight's plea agreement.

The document said Volpendesto asked if Knight knew how to blow out the windows in a 25-foot by 35-foot structure without wrecking the building.

Later, according to the document, Knight supplied two Ziplock bags of explosive powder and a 20-foot fuse for Volpendesto's use.