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 early on Saturday without incident, 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 faces other charges related to an April 1 indictment for fondling three different children between ages 7 and 16, from 2007 to 2013, according to court records. He was released on $25,000 bond in that case.
U.S. prosecutors dropped charges on Tuesday against another Mississippi man, Elvis impersonatorKevin 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 she 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 on 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.
Agents in unmarked vehicles were stationed in streets surrounding Dutschke's home on Friday afternoon and all evening. He was arrested at 12:50 a.m. CDT (0550 GMT), the FBI said.
Letters addressed to Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Democratic PresidentBarack Obama were retrieved last week at off-site mail facilities before reaching their intended victims. AMississippi state judge also received a ricin-laced letter.
The discovery added another layer of anxiety as authorities were already dealing with bombings at the Boston Marathon.
Ricin, which is made from castor beans, can be deadly to humans and is considered a potential terror weapon, particularly if refined into an aerosol form.
The case has brought extra scrutiny on the FBI almost 12 years after a 2001 letter-borne anthrax attack that killed five people and took seven years to solve. The anthrax investigation also came in the wake of a major attack in the United States- the Sept. 11 hijackings.
RUNNING FEUD
Dutschke's name first surfaced in a federal court hearing on Monday for Curtis where 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 had originally fallen on Curtis because of wording contained in all three ricin letters.
"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 mention of "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.
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 early on Saturday without incident, 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 faces other charges related to an April 1 indictment for fondling three different children between ages 7 and 16, from 2007 to 2013, according to court records. He was released on $25,000 bond in that case.
U.S. prosecutors dropped charges on Tuesday against another Mississippi man, Elvis impersonatorKevin 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 she 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 on 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.
Agents in unmarked vehicles were stationed in streets surrounding Dutschke's home on Friday afternoon and all evening. He was arrested at 12:50 a.m. CDT (0550 GMT), the FBI said.
Letters addressed to Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Democratic PresidentBarack Obama were retrieved last week at off-site mail facilities before reaching their intended victims. AMississippi state judge also received a ricin-laced letter.
The discovery added another layer of anxiety as authorities were already dealing with bombings at the Boston Marathon.
Ricin, which is made from castor beans, can be deadly to humans and is considered a potential terror weapon, particularly if refined into an aerosol form.
The case has brought extra scrutiny on the FBI almost 12 years after a 2001 letter-borne anthrax attack that killed five people and took seven years to solve. The anthrax investigation also came in the wake of a major attack in the United States- the Sept. 11 hijackings.
RUNNING FEUD
Dutschke's name first surfaced in a federal court hearing on Monday for Curtis where 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 had originally fallen on Curtis because of wording contained in all three ricin letters.
"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 mention of "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.