For Immediate Release January 8, 2004

Columbia, South Carolina

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of Inspector General are offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for introducing a threatening letter addressed to DOT and containing the poison ricin into a U.S. Postal facility located in Greenville, South Carolina, on October 15, 2003.

The author(s) of this typewritten letter claimed that he or she was a fleet owner of a tanker company and demanded that the present laws regarding truck driver hours of service regulations remain unchanged. On January 4, 2004, significant new federal regulations went into effect mandating more rest and orienting drivers toward a 24-hour work/rest cycle. A type written message on the exterior of the envelope indicated "caution RICIN POISON Enclosed in sealed container Do not open without proper protection". Inside the envelope was a small, metal vial which contained ricin, a white, granular, potentially deadly poison.

The author(s) of this letter claimed to have the ability to make large quantities of ricin and to use this poison if the new hours of service regulations were not repealed by January 4, 2004. The letter was signed "Fallen Angel".

Anyone with information concerning the identity of the individual(s) responsible for authoring this threatening letter is requested to contact the FBI toll free at 1-866-839-6241.

Field News | FBI Home Page