New York man pleads guilty to fake
anthrax, ricin attacks
Send a link to a friend
[December 13, 2014]
By Matthew Liptak
SYRACUSE, N.Y (Reuters) - A New York man
pleaded guilty to mailing more than 20 death-threat letters he claimed
were laced with anthrax or ricin to schools and U.S. officials and
lawmakers, including Senator John McCain, between 1997 and 2012, a U.S.
attorney's office said on Friday.
|
Brian Daniel Norton, 59, of Cicero, pleaded guilty in U.S,
District Court in Utica to two felony counts of conveying false
information and hoaxes, according to a statement from the U.S.
Attorney for the Northern District of New York.
"In court, Norton admitted he mailed more than 20 death threat
letters that contained a white powder he claimed to be either
anthrax or ricin," the statement said.
Both ricin and Anthrax can be deadly, but powder found in the
letters was analyzed and found to be harmless, the statement said.
The letters were sent to Bishop Ludden High School and Le Moyne
College, both in Syracuse, and to U.S. Senator from Arizona John
McCain, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and former
Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle.
Court papers said Norton wrote phrases on the mailings. On one
alumni donation card he said: "Praise Allah for Sept. 11. You are
next," local media reported, referring to the attacks on the United
States.
[to top of second column] |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Dec/13/images/ads/current/business_directory_lda.png)
Norton faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
He is being detained pending sentencing, scheduled on April 10 in
Utica.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Dec/13/images/ads/current/business_directory_filler.png) |