FBI Releases Text, Photo of Ricin Threat Letter Sent to White House
Letter Mentions New Hours-of-Service Rule

The FBI released the text of the threatening letter sent to the White House in October that contained the poison ricin and mentioned the trucking hours of service rule that went into effect January 4.

The letter was typewritten and although it was addressed to the White House, the letter begins with "Department of transportation" and then says:

"If you change the hours of service on January 4, 2004, I will turn D.C. into a ghost town. The powder on the letter is RICIN. Have a nice day. Fallen Angel."

The envelope that contained the letter has a handwritten address for the White House. It's the only handwriting sample obtained by the FBI in the "Fallen Angel" case, according to the FBI.

"We're hoping that somebody is going to recognize that handwriting," spokesman Tom O'Neill said. "Really, we're just trying to get some new leads. The investigation is starting to slow down."

A similar letter, with a small vial of ricin, was found at a mail processing facility in Greenville, S.C. It was addressed to the Transportation Department. In both cases, the author complained about the new hours of service rule.

The FBI, Postal Service, and Department of Transportation are offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of "Fallen Angel." (See below.)

Visit the FBI's website for more information.

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The United States Postal Inspection Service,
Federal Bureau of Investigation and
U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General

$100,000 REWARD

A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for a threatening letter discovered at a U.S. Postal facility in Greenville, SC, on October 15, 2003, that was addressed to DOT and contained the poison ricin.

The author(s) of this letter claimed to be a fleet owner of a tanker company and demanded that the laws regarding 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. Inside the envelope was a small, metal vial which contained ricin.

Typewritten on the exterior of the envelope was the following warning:

CAUTION RICIN POISON
Enclosed in sealed container
Do not open without proper protection

The following is a representation of the language contained in the threat letter:

to the department of transportation: I'm a fleet owner of a tanker company.

I have easy access to castor pulp. If my demand is dismissed I'm capable of making Ricin.

My demand is simple, January 4 2004 starts the new hours of service for trucks which include a ridiculous ten hours in the sleeper berth. Keep at eight or I will start dumping.

You have been warned this is the only letter that will be sent by me.

Fallen Angel

Anyone having information, contact the Tip Line 1-866-839-6241

Reward payment will be made in accordance with conditions of Postal Service Reward Poster 296, dated February 2000.

Public Health Information regarding ricin can be found at the Center for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov)