BOSTON – A Beverly man was arrested today and charged in
federal court in Boston for sending nine letters, one of which contained a
white powder, to the online dating website OkCupid.com.
Liam MacLeod, 47, was charged by criminal complaint with
mailing threatening communications and conveying false information and hoaxes.
He will appear today in federal court in Boston at 3:30 p.m.
According to the complaint, between September and December
2017, OkCupid’s corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas, received nine mailings
containing either threatening communications and/or suspicious substances. All
of the mailings were addressed to OkCupid’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
It is alleged that on or about Sept. 12, 2017, MacLeod
mailed an envelope addressed to OkCupid’s CEO in Dallas containing a suspicious
white powder, along with a handwritten letter with the following text:
Greeting
from Beverly
Ban me will ya
Welcome to
the wonderful world of ANTHRAX
Expect a
package within the next couple of days
It won’t be
ticking but it should be interesting!
On or about Sept. 14, 2017, MacLeod allegedly mailed another
envelope addressed to OkCupid’s CEO in Dallas containing a typewritten letter
with the following message, amongst other text:
How’d you
like what I sent you? Aww, go take a
powder. Oh, the things I have in store for you!
I can go on like this
for years. How long can you last?
Incidentally, my father was an angel: That’s Hell’s
Angel to
you. You see, we have some pull. Take for
example your
vehicles. We now know who owns
what, and
where each of you parks his.
Hmm, think
of the possibilities!
On or about Sept. 20, 2017, the complaint alleges that MacLeod
sent a third envelope to OkCupid’s CEO in Dallas. The envelope and its
contents, a single piece of white paper, each contained significant red-brown
staining consistent with blood. The next day, Sept. 21, 2017, MacLeod mailed
another letter addressed to OkCupid’s CEO containing a typewritten letter
wherein MacLeod indicated that the red-brown staining on the previous letter
was blood infected with the AIDS virus.
It is further alleged that between Oct. 4, 2017 and Dec. 21,
2017, MacLeod mailed five additional envelopes addressed to OkCupid’s CEO in
Dallas, each containing threatening communications and/or suspicious
substances. Each of these mailings generated a hazmat response by federal law
enforcement in order to rule out the presence of active biological or chemical
agents. Laboratory testing later confirmed that the substances contained in the
envelopes mailed by MacLeod, including the white powdery substance, did not
contain hazardous materials.
The charge of false information and hoaxes provides for a
sentence of no greater than five years in prison, one year of supervised
release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of mailing threatening
communications provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison,
three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are
imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing
Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R.
Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Boston Field Division; and David W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, made the announcement today. The
investigation was conducted by the FBI Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task Force,
with assistance from the Beverly Police Department. OkCupid and its parent
company has been fully cooperative with the investigation. Assistant United
States Attorney Jason A. Casey of Lelling’s National Security Unit is
prosecuting the case.
Details contained in the charging documents are allegations.
The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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