New Mexico Man Charged In White-Powder Mailings
By STEPHANIE SIMON
Infuriated by losses in the stock market, a New Mexico man sent financial institutions a series of angry emails — and followed up with dozens of threatening letters containing suspicious powder, federal authorities said Tuesday.
Richard Leon Goyette, 47 years old, who also uses the name Michael Jurek, was arrested at the airport in Albuquerque, N.M., on Monday. He is charged with the federal crime of conveying false information, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison per offense. Federal authorities said that last fall, Mr. Goyette sent envelopes filled with white powder to multiple offices of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.’s Chase bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of Thrift Supervision.
According to a complaint filed by U.S. authorities last week in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, notes in the envelopes warned that anyone breathing the powder would die within 10 days. The notes echoed the deadly anthrax scare of 2001. In reality, the powder was harmless, akin to blackboard chalk.
Mr. Goyette is in federal custody and couldn’t be reached for comment. He hasn’t yet retained a lawyer, authorities said.
In an initial court appearance Tuesday, Mr. Goyette didn’t contest plans to transport him to Amarillo, where the letters were postmarked. Once there, he will have a second hearing and a lawyer will be appointed for him if he doesn’t hire one, authorities said.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents said Mr. Goyette appeared to be distraught at losing more than $63,000 when stock he held in Washington Mutual Inc. crashed in value after the bank was placed in federal receivership in September, 2008. J.P. Morgan Chase bought the bank’s assets at a fire-sale price.
Within days of Washington Mutual’s collapse, federal authorities allege, Mr. Goyette emailed parties involved in the transaction, saying he had “paid a terrible price” and blaming his losses on “those who will do whatever it takes to defraud, steal, manipulate and screw over average stockholders.” Authorities allege he warned that he would “pursue any path to get the return of my investment.”
Less than three weeks later, threatening letters began arriving at Chase branches, the FDIC and the Office of Thrift Supervision in 11 states, according to federal authorities. According to the complaint, a total of 65 letters were received, all but one containing the white powder and a misspelled note: “Steal tens of thousands of people’s money and not expect reprercussions [sic].”
The letters “caused untold emotional distress” among recipients and “immense unnecessary labor and expense” on the part of cleanup crews and emergency responders, said acting U.S. attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.
Officials say they are still investigating several other rounds of threatening — though ultimately harmless — white-powder mailings. In December, envelopes bearing a Dallas postmark were sent to governors’ offices nationwide. In January, white-powder letters arrived at The Wall Street Journal, addressed to several executives and top editors. (See related story.)
Write to Stephanie Simon at stephanie.simon@wsj.com