“White Powder” Mailer Sentenced to Four Years

Postal Inspectors Crack Down on Threatening Letters

Even prior to the Anthrax mailings of October 2001, “white powder” hoax letters were a favorite tactic of the cowardly and the disgruntled. Anti-abortionists used this campaign of fear to shut down clinics across the country, often sending their threats by express couriers like Federal Express.

But those hoping to avoid the risk of a more direct attack may have gotten a wake up call today. A New Mexico man, Richard Leon Goyette, who sent threatening letters containing suspicious powder to dozens of banks and federal offices around the country was sentenced yesterday to nearly four years in federal prison. The powder was identified as calcium carbonate, a major component of blackboard chalk.

In addition to the confinement, Goyette was ordered to pay fines of $5,000 dollars, and restitution of nearly $87,000 to reimburse the cost of emergency response to the letters.

US Postal Inspector in Charge Randall C. Till said in a statement that the sentence should serve as a warning to others.

“The US Postal Inspection Service remains vigilant, pursuing criminals like Goyette to ensure the public’s trust in a safe and secure mail system,” he said.

In the past, such mailings often triggered very large and expensive emergency responses, including decontamination. But the US Postal Inspection Service has made great strides in reducing the impact of these mailings by establishing Dangerous Mail Investigation (DMI) Teams in major cities. These Inspectors are specially trained and equipped to respond to white powder hoax incidents, and can usually identify the suspicious powder on site.  This greatly reduces the impact on those targeted and can mitigate the cost of a larger response.

Investigative methods have also improved, increasing the chances that the perpetrators will be caught and sentenced for their crimes.

9-1-1 Call Centers, dispatchers, and emergency management officials should contact their local US Postal Inspection Office to determine local capabilities and improve response plans for dealing with white powder incidents.