FBI
Arrests Sacramento Man in Sugar Packet Hoax Mailings:
Letters Sent to Congressional Offices and Media Outlets
Late
this afternoon FBI agents arrested Marc M. Keyser,
66, of Sacramento, California, and charged him
with three counts of sending a hoax letter after
he allegedly mailed over 120 packages containing
a CD entitled “Anthrax: Shock & Awe Terror.” Attached
to the CD was a sugar packet containing a white
powdery substance and a label depicting
an orange biohazard symbol and the words “Anthrax
Sample.” The packages were sent to a number
of addresses nationwide including: over 100 major
media outlets across the country, the office of
a national news magazine in Washington, D.C.; a
Congressional District Office in Modesto, California;
a newspaper
in North Carolina; and to at least two restaurants
in the Sacramento area.
Several of these packages have been collected and
sent to the FBI Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia,
for processing. At this point none of the contents
have tested positive for bio-hazardous material.
It is likely that many other mailings will be received
over the next few days. Recipients of these mailings
are advised to contact their local FBI office so
that these packages can be collected and preserved
for evidentiary purposes.
The arrest is not connected to another series of
powder hoax mailings sent to financial institutions
announced by the FBI last week.
Keyser was arrested at his residence without incident
and is in custody at the Sacramento County Jail.
He will make his initial appearance in federal court
tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.
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