Thread: Ricin in Letter sent to White House

UPDATE: FBI says preliminary test indicates poisonous ricin in letter sent to president.

BREAKING: Letter addressed to President Barack Obama contains suspicious substance believed to be ricin, according to CNN. http://bit.ly/12mBACj

Originally Posted by gmyers

Did the person sending it really think the president opens his own mail.

Someone else would have been hurt by it.

Terrorists are about "sending a message - they dont care who gets hurt.

Reports: Ricin letter suspect arrested. http://bit.ly/Z4kLeO

Apr 18, 2013 3:23 AM CDT
By RNN Staff

A suspect who the FBI says sent letters that tested positive for ricin to President Barack Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-MS, has been arrested.










FBI special agents took Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, of Corinth, MS, into custody at his home on Wednesday.

Corinth is near the Tennessee-Mississippi state border and nearly 98 miles east of Memphis. The letters were postmarked in nearby Memphis, TN.

The letters that were sent to Obama and Wicker were reported to have said, "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance."

They were both signed, "I am KC and I approve this message."

Field tests showed that the letters tested positive for ricin. However, those tests are not conclusive, and lab test results are expected within the coming days.

The letters never reached Obama and Wicker. They were intercepted at a processing facility.

In a press conference Wednesday night, officials said the suspect will not be formally charged until the finalized test on the chemical substance is proved to be ricin.

They would not say where Curtis is being held.


Curtis has been under investigation because he had been sending letters to Wicker for some time, CNN reported.

Wednesday also came with other suspicious activity at various senators' offices and at the Capitol.

According to the Associated Press, suspicious packages sent to three Senators' offices on Wednesday turned out to be benign, and the person detained and questioned was released.


CNN reported that authorities called the suspicious mail sent to Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake's office earlier Wednesday a false alarm, while the suspicious mail sent to the Saginaw, MI, offices of Sen. Carl Levin are still being investigated. A package sent to Sen. John Cornyn's office in Dallas was also not dangerous.


Ricin is a poison that is present in castor beans, according the New York State Department of Health. It is part of the waste that is produced during the production of castor oil and as such, is one of the most easily produced plant toxins.

The chemical is extremely deadly, and an amount as small as a pinhead, about 500 micrograms, can be enough to kill.

Paul Kevin Curtis, Miss. man, arrested in ricin-tainted letter case
(CBS/AP) CORINTH, Miss. - A Mississippi man was arrested Wednesday for mailing letters to President Barack Obama and other national leaders that were suspected of containing ricin, a toxic substance without an antidote that is deadliest when inhaled.

Pictures: Miss. man arrested in ricin letter case



Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, believed he uncovered a conspiracy to sell human body parts on the black market and claimed "various parties within the government" were trying to ruin his reputation. He was arrested at his home in Corinth, near the Tennessee state line.

Authorities have intercepted letters that were addressed to President Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and are waiting for definitive tests. Preliminary field tests can often show false positives for ricin, which is derived from the castor plant that makes castor oil.

An FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said the two letters were postmarked Memphis, Tenn. Both letters said: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance." Both were signed, "I am KC and I approve this message."

It was not immediately known what charges Curtis faced.

In Corinth, a city of about 14,000, police cordoned off part of a subdivision where Curtis lived. At least five police cars were on the scene, but there didn't appear to be any hazardous-material crews and no neighbors were evacuated.

Ricky Curtis, who said he was Kevin Curtis' cousin, said the family was shocked by the news of the arrest. He described his cousin as a "super entertainer" who impersonated Elvis and numerous other singers.

"We're all in shock. I don't think anybody had a clue that this kind of stuff was weighing on his mind," Ricky Curtis said in a telephone interview.

Ricky Curtis said his cousin had written about problems he had with a cleaning business and that he felt the government had not treated him well, but he said nobody in the family would have expected this. He said the writings were titled, "Missing Pieces."

"As far as him being anti-government, I'm not going to say that, but he had some issues with some stuff that happened with his cleaning business," the cousin said.

Multiple online posts on various websites under the name Kevin Curtis refer to the conspiracy he claimed to uncover when working at a local hospital from 1998 to 2000.

The author wrote the conspiracy that began when he "discovered a refrigerator full of dismembered body parts & organs wrapped in plastic in the morgue of the largest non-metropolitan healthcare organization in the United States of America."

Curtis wrote that he was trying to "expose various parties within the government, FBI, police departments" for what he believed was "a conspiracy to ruin my reputation in the community as well as an ongoing effort to break down the foundation I worked more than 20 years to build in the country music scene."

In one post, Curtis said he sent letters to Wicker and other politicians.

"I never heard a word from anyone. I even ran into Roger Wicker several different times while performing at special banquets and fundraisers in northeast, Mississippi but he seemed very nervous while speaking with me and would make a fast exit to the door when I engaged in conversation..."

He signed off: "This is Kevin Curtis & I approve this message."

The FBI said there was no indication of a connection between the letters and the Monday bombing in Boston that killed three people and injured more than 170. The letters to Obama and Wicker were postmarked April 8, before the marathon.

Obama's press secretary, Jay Carney, said mail sent to the White House is screened at a remote site for the safety of the recipients and the general public. He declined to comment on the significance of the preliminary ricin result, referring questions to the FBI.

At a House hearing, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe noted there had been ricin alerts since the notorious 2001 anthrax mailings and procedures are in place to protect postal employees and help track down culprits.

"Over the course of years we've had some situations where there have been ricin scares," Donahoe said. "Until this date, there's never been any actually proved that have gone through the system."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...d-letter-case/

Charges dropped against man suspected of sending ricin letters
Posted: Apr 23, 2013 5:13 PM CDT

OXFORD, MS (RNN) - Charges were dropped against a man suspected of sending letters containing a toxin to politicians, including President Barack Obama.

Paul Kevin Curtis was released from custody on bond earlier on Tuesday. It is possible for the prosecutors to reinstate charges should they decide to do so. "I would like to thank all of my family, friends and fans for their love and support this week," said Curtis. "I love my country and would never do anything to pose a threat to him [President Obama] or any U.S. official."

Suspicious letters that tested positive for ricin were sent to President Barack Obama and Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS, last week and were reported to have said, "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance."

They were both signed, "I am KC and I approve this message."

Curtis thanked Sen. Wicker for his kind words about him and said he had "nothing but respect" for the president.

This phrase appeared on Curtis' Facebook page. Curtis told reporters he's changing his social media habits as a result.

Wicker had hired Curtis, who is an Elvis impersonator, to perform at an event.

Curtis' lawyer, Christie McCoy, stated that investigators may have other suspects in mind, and has maintained that Curtis has been framed. Law enforcement has not confirm this, but CNN reports that investigators are looking to see if someone tried to falsely implicate Curtis.

The FBI testified that no ricin was found during a search at Curtis' home.

The Associated Press reports that the FBI was searching the home of another Mississippi man, Everett Dutschke, in Tupelo. Dutschke has denied any involvement. Curtis and Dutschke know each other, but had a falling out in 2010. Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. officials said a suspicious package was found at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Tuesday morning, according to the Associated Press. The package was found at a Defense Intelligence Agency mail sorting facility on the base.

It is unclear if this package contained a letter with the same message as the letters sent to Wicker and Obama.

The DIA said tests showed possible biological toxins, and the agency is back to normal operations, according to the AP.

Ricin is a poison that is present in castor beans, according the New York State Department of Health. It is part of the waste that is produced during the production of castor oil and as such, is one of the most easily produced plant toxins.

The chemical is extremely deadly, and an amount as small as a pinhead, about 500 micrograms, can be enough to kill.

http://www.wafb.com/story/22058065/c...er_share=8f296

It is possible for the prosecutors to reinstate charges should they decide to do so

So are they saying that they cleared him ... or not ??

I may not agree with BO's policies ... but ricin laced letters is sick and twisted.

Man named in poison letters case goes into hiding
April 25, 2013 6:16 PM CDT

SALTILLO, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi man whose home was searched in the investigation of poisoned letters sent to the president and others has apparently gone into hiding, but his attorney said he is cooperating and the FBI knows how to get in touch with him.

Everett Dutschke, 45, had his home and former business in Tupelo searched in connection with the letters, which allegedly contained ricin. They were sent last week to President Barack Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and earlier to an 80-year-old Mississippi judge named Sadie Holland.

Charges were initially filed against a celebrity impersonator but then dropped. Attention then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect and the judge and senator.

On Thursday, investigators looked through a different home about 20 miles away and a plane circled above for much of the day.

A friend of Dutschke's told The Associated Press that both he and Dutschke stayed at the home for a while Wednesday before slipping out through the woods to rendezvous with someone who drove Dutschke elsewhere. He said Dutschke was just trying to escape the news media.

"I just helped him get out of the spotlight," Kirk Kitchens said Thursday at his home in nearby Saltillo.

Dutschke has not been arrested or charged in the letters case. The FBI has said nothing about the building searches or Thursday's developments.

Dutschke's lawyer, Lori Nail Basham, said there is no arrest warrant for her client, who continues to cooperate with investigators.

Earlier Thursday, Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson said agents told him Dutschke had been under surveillance, but authorities weren't sure where he had gone. He said they were satisfied he was not at the Ozark property.

Dutschke did not answer a call to his cellphone Thursday from the AP. He had previously kept in touch with AP reporters.

It was yet another strange turn in the case that began when charges were filed against 45-year-old entertainer Paul Kevin Curtis, whose lawyers now say he was set up for the crime.

Charges against Curtis were dropped Tuesday after authorities said they developed new information. His attorney, Christi McCoy, has said she does not know what new information led the FBI to abandon the charges but that the agency acted in good faith and worked from the information it had at the time.

The focus then turned to Dutschke. He said he was cooperating.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Dutschke said Tuesday as investigators combed through his house. His business was searched the next day.

Curtis attorney Hal Neilson said the defense gave authorities a list of people who may have had a reason to hurt Curtis, and Dutschke's name came up. He said prosecutors "took it and ran with it."

Dutschke and Curtis were acquainted. Curtis said they had talked about possibly publishing a book on an alleged conspiracy to sell body parts on a black market. But he claimed they later had a feud.

Judge Holland is a common link between two men who have been investigated and both know Wicker.

Holland was presiding judge in a case in which Curtis was accused of assaulting a Tupelo attorney in 2004. Holland sentenced him to six months in the county jail. He served only part of the sentence, according to his brother.

Holland's family has had political skirmishes with Dutschke in the past.

Steve Holland, a state representative, said he believes his mother's only other encounter with Dutschke was at a rally in the town of Verona in 2007, when Dutschke ran as a Republican against Steve Holland.

Holland said his mother confronted Dutschke after he made a derogatory speech about the Holland family. She demanded that he apologize, which he did.

Steve Holland said he doesn't know if his mother remembers Curtis' assault case.


Associated Press Writer Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Miss., contributed to this report.

http://www.wafb.com/story/22073121/r...er_share=a1836

......and they say the soap operas are based on fiction.

I think Dutschke has been "disappeared" ...

Miss. man gets bioweapon charge in ricin case

Everett Dutschke, 41, was taken into custody in Tupelo, Miss., and later charged with being in possession of a biological weapon.


TUPELO, Miss. — A Mississippi martial arts instructor arrested early on Saturday was charged with possession of the biological agent ricin and with attempting to use it as a weapon, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

James Everett Dutschke, age 41, was arrested following searches of his home and a former business as part of an investigation into ricin-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and two other public officials.

Dutschke was taken into custody by FBI agents at his Tupelo home in the early hours of Saturday morning, FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden said in a statement.

If convicted, Dutschke faces maximum possible penalties of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and 5 years of supervised release.

Dutschke is expected to appear in the United States District Court in Oxford, Mississippi, on Monday.

U.S. prosecutors dropped charges on Tuesday against another Mississippi man, Elvis impersonator Kevin Curtis, who was released from jail after a search of his home in nearby Corinth revealed no incriminating evidence.

Prosecutors said at the time that the investigation had "revealed new information" but provided no details.

Dutschke's attorney, Lori Basham, did not return calls seeking comment but told Reuters earlier in the week that her client denied having anything to do with the ricin letters.

Agents from the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as members of an anti-terrorist response team from the Mississippi National Guard, some wearing hazardous-material suits, had searched Dutschke's home Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the premises of a former martial arts studio Dutschke ran in the city.

Dutschke was cooperating with federal officials during the searches this week, the attorney said.

The agents had Dutschke's home under surveillance Friday afternoon and evening, and moved to arrest him about 1 a.m. local time.

On Tuesday, U.S. prosecutors dropped charges against another Mississippi man, Elvis impersonator Kevin Curtis, who was released from jail after a search of his home in nearby Corinth revealed no incriminating evidence.

Prosecutors said at the time that the investigation had "revealed new information" but provided no details.

The case has brought extra scrutiny on the FBI almost 12 years after a 2001 letter-borne anthrax attack after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington. It took investigators seven years to solve the anthrax case.

Letters addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and President Barack Obama were retrieved last week at off-site mail facilities before reaching their intended victims. A state judge also received a ricin-laced letter.

The discovery added another layer of anxiety as authorities dealt with bombings at the Boston Marathon.

Ricin, which is made from castor beans, can be deadly to humans and is considered a potential terrorist weapon, particularly if refined into an aerosol form.

Dutschke's name first surfaced in a federal court hearing Monday for Curtis in which his attorney suggested her client had been framed by someone. She mentioned a running feud between Dutschke and Curtis, albeit over a number of seemingly petty issues.

Suspicion originally had fallen on Curtis because of wording contained in all three ricin letters that appeared to incriminate him.

"Maybe I have your attention now / Even if that means someone must die," the letters read in part, according to the affidavit. The letters ended: "I am KC and I approve this message."

The initials "KC" led law enforcement officials to ask Wicker's staff if they were aware of any constituents with those initials, and the focus of the investigation then turned to Curtis, according to an affidavit from the FBI and the Secret Service filed in court.

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/mi...ocid=ansnews11

Lawyer: Former ricin suspect's home is unlivable
April 29, 2013 4:29 PM CDT By HOLBROOK MOHR ~ Associated Press

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi man charged with making a deadly poison sent to President Barack Obama and others was ordered held without bond until a hearing later this week when prosecutors are expected to describe what evidence they have against him.

James Everett Dutschke made a brief appearance Monday in federal court wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands shackled. Authorities spent several days last week searching Dutschke's home and former business but have said very little about the suspect beyond a news release announcing the charge of making and possessing ricin over the weekend.

Dutschke's arrest early Saturday capped a week in which investigators initially zeroed in on a rival of Dutschke's, then decided they had the wrong man. A lawyer for the former suspect says the government should pay to repair his house, which she describes as uninhabitable.

Dutschke (pronounced DUHS'-kee) has denied involvement in the mailing of the letters, saying he's a patriot with no grudges against anyone. He has previously run for political office and was known to frequent political rallies in northern Mississippi.

The 41-year-old suspect said little during his hearing other than answering affirmatively to the judge's questions about whether he understood the charges against him.

The judge ordered Dutschke to remain jailed until a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. More details are likely to emerge at that hearing, when prosecutors have to show they have enough evidence to hold him.

An attorney from the public defender's office appointed to represent Dutschke declined to comment after Monday's hearing. Another attorney of Dutschke's, Lori Nail Basham, said she will continue to represent him in other matters but not the federal case.

Dutschke's house, business and vehicles in Tupelo, Miss., were searched last week, often by crews in hazardous materials suits, and he had been under surveillance.

He faces up to life in prison if convicted. A news release from federal authorities said Dutschke was charged with "knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon, to wit: ricin."

He already had legal problems. Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty in state court to two child molestation charges involving three girls younger than 16, at least 1 of whom was a student at his martial arts studio. He also was appealing a conviction on a different charge of indecent exposure. He told The Associated Press last week that his lawyer told him not to comment on those cases.

The letters, which tests showed were tainted with ricin, were sent April 8 to Obama, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Mississippi judge Sadie Holland.

The first suspect accused by the FBI was Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, an Elvis impersonator. He was arrested on April 17 at his Corinth, Miss., home, but the charges were dropped six days later and Curtis, who says he was framed, was released from jail.

Curtis' lawyer Christi McCoy said she doesn't think Curtis was the primary target of the scheme, and that the person who sent the letters just wanted a scapegoat.

McCoy sent a letter to federal prosecutors saying the government should provide him temporary housing and pay to repair his home and possessions.

Her letter says that his lock was broken, picture frames broken and artwork was torn. She has also asked for the government to pay his legal bills.

After Curtis was released, the focus then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect and the judge. Earlier in the week, as investigators searched his primary residence in Tupelo, Dutschke told the AP, "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"I'm a patriotic American. I don't have any grudges against anybody. ... I did not send the letters," Dutschke said.

Curtis' attorney, Christi McCoy, said Saturday: "We are relieved but also saddened. This crime is nothing short of diabolical. I have seen a lot of meanness in the past two decades, but this stops me in my tracks."

Some of the language in the letters was similar to posts on Curtis' Facebook page and they were signed, "I am KC and I approve this message." Curtis often used a similar online signoff.

Dutschke and Curtis were acquainted. Curtis said they had talked about possibly publishing a book on a conspiracy that Curtis insists he has uncovered to sell body parts on a black market. But he said they later had a feud.

Curtis' attorneys have said they believe their client was set up. An FBI agent testified that no evidence of ricin was found in searches of Curtis' home. Curtis attorney Hal Neilson said the defense gave authorities a list of people who may have had a reason to hurt Curtis and Dutschke's came up.

Judge Holland also is a common link between the two men, and both know Wicker. Dutschke's MySpace page has several pictures with him and Wicker at what appear to be campaign events.

Holland was the presiding judge in a 2004 case in which Curtis was accused of assaulting a Tupelo attorney a year earlier. Holland sentenced him to six months in the county jail. He served only part of the sentence, according to his brother.

Holland's family has had political skirmishes with Dutschke. Her son, Steve Holland, a Democratic state representative, said he thinks his mother's only encounter with Dutschke was at a rally in the town of Verona in 2007, when Dutschke ran as a Republican against Steve Holland.

Holland said his mother confronted Dutschke after he made a derogatory speech about the Holland family. She demanded that he apologize, which Holland says he did.

Dutschke said Steve Holland exaggerated the incident, and that he has no problem with Sadie Holland. "Everybody loves Sadie, including me," he said.

http://www.wafb.com/story/22103390/h...er_share=9975a