The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has nabbed a Texas man for sending out hundreds of hoax letters that contained a suspicious white powder.
On Monday, July 28, the authorities revealed that they have arrested 66-year old Hong Minh Truong of Dallas, Texas, nearly six years after the first batch of hoax letters were sent out in December 2008. The letters were sent out to hotels near the Super Bowl, schools, members of the Congress and allegedly even to President Obama.
The federal complaint document claims that Truong sent out 10 to 40 letters at a time. Truong sent out nearly 500 hoax letters with the suspicious white powder, which contained terroristic threats. He has been charged on July 25 at a federal court in Northern Texas for sending out what "may have reasonably been believed" to be anthrax.
Per the complaint, investigators zoned in on Truong after an IP address linked to him was identified in June 2013 after 28 public schools in Boston received the hoax letters.
The justice Department revealed that the white powder was found to be harmless and non-poisonous. Some letters did not even contain the white powder. However, it still warranted an emergency reaction to determine if it was injurious.
"While it was determined that the mailings did not contain toxins or poisons, each incident required a field screening of the letter's contents, which cost taxpayer dollars and diverted first responder resources," said Diego Rodriguez, special agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas office, in a statement.
Moreover, the language of the letters was alarming (a letter in May 2012 began "Al Qaeda back!") and the method of sending them out was similar suggesting that one person was accountable. The letters also originated in Northern Texas as investigations by the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service reveal.
Truong has been remanded till a detention hearing which is slated for August 4. He will remain in custody till the case continues. In the event Truong is convicted, he will be required to pay a fine of $250,000 and serve five years in prison.
