Jackson (Mississippi): A man suspected of sending poison-laced letters to US President Barack Obama and two other officials was charged in a five-count federal indictment made public that could send him to prison for life if he`s convicted.
The indictment charges 41-year-old James Everett Dutschke with developing, producing and stockpiling the poison ricin, threatening the president and others and attempting to impede the investigation.
The indictment also alleges that Dutschke mailed the letter in part to retaliate against a rival, who briefly became a suspect in the investigation.
The indictment was made public yesterday, but it was dated May 31.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday in US District Court in Oxford. Dutschke has been jailed without bond since his arrest.
George Lucas, Dutschke`s lawyer, told a news agency in an e-mail yesterday that his client will plead not guilty to each of the five charges.
Dutschke was arrested April 27 at his home in Tupelo. He`s suspected of mailing ricin-laced letters on April 8 to Obama, US Senator Roger Wicker and Judge Sadie Holland. Dutschke has denied any involvement in the letters.
He is the second person to face charges in the case. The first, entertainer and Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, was arrested on April 17, but the charges were dropped six days later when the investigation shifted to Dutschke.
After his arrest, Curtis said he was framed and pointed investigators to Dutschke. The men had met years earlier while both worked for an insurance company owned by Curtis` brother. Curtis said they had feuded over the years.
Count five of the indictment says Dutschke mailed the letters "to retaliate against and frame Kevin Curtis."
The letters contained language that Curtis had often used on his Facebook page, including the line, "I am KC and I approve this message." The letters also contained the phrase "Missing Pieces," the same title as an unpublished book Curtis wrote about his belief that there`s a black market for body parts in the United States.
Curtis says he discovered the underground market while running a janitorial service at a hospital. Dutschke briefly owned a small newspaper and the two had discussed publishing the book, but later had a falling out, Curtis has said.
PTI
