The 2003 ricin letters were two ricin-laden letters found on two occasions between October and November 2003. One letter was mailed to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

and intercepted at a processing facility; another was discovered with no address in South Carolina. A February 2004 ricin incident at the

Dirksen Senate Office Building The Dirksen Senate Office Building is the second office building constructed for members of the United States Senate in Washington, D.C., and was named for the late Minority Leader Everett Dirksen from Illinois in 1972. History On the eve ...

was initially connected to the 2003 letters as well. The letters were sent by an individual who referred to themselves as "Fallen Angel". The sender, who claimed to own a trucking company, expressed anger over changes in federal trucking regulations. As of 2008, no connection between the Fallen Angel letters and the Dirksen building incident has been established. A $100,000 reward was offered in 2004 by the federal law enforcement agencies investigating the case, but to date the reward remains unclaimed.

Background

Ricin

Ricin is a white powder that can be produced as a liquid or a crystal. Ricin is an extremely toxic plant protein that can cause severe allergic reactions, and exposure to small quantities can be fatal.Ricin: Biotoxin
Emergency Response Safety and Health Database
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Accessed April 20, 2009. The toxin inhibits the formation of proteins within cells of exposed individuals. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 500 micrograms is the minimum

lethal dose In toxicology, the lethal dose (LD) is an indication of the lethal toxicity of a given substance or type of radiation. Because resistance varies from one individual to another, the "lethal dose" represents a dose (usually recorded as dose per kilog ...

of ricin in humans provided that exposure is from

injection Injection or injected may refer to: Science and technology * Injective function, a mathematical function mapping distinct arguments to distinct values * Injection (medicine), insertion of liquid into the body with a syringe * Injection, in broadca ...

or inhalation.Facts About Ricin
, ''Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'', March 5, 2008, accessed May 5, 2009. Ricin is easily purified from

castor-oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil Oil pressing, pressed from castor beans. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 0.961 g/cm3. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in ...

manufacturing

waste Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste prod ...

. It has been utilized by various states and organizations as a weapon, being most effective as an assassination weapon, notably in the case of the 1978 assassination of Bulgarian dissident

Georgi Markov Georgi Ivanov Markov ( bg, Георги Иванов Марков ; 1 March 1929 – 11 September 1978) was a Bulgarian dissident writer. He originally worked as a novelist, screenwriter and playwright in his native country, the People's Repub ...

Trucking regulations

On January 4, 2004 new federal transportation rules took effect which directly affected the over-the-road trucking industry in the United States. The rules took effect with a 60-day

grace period A grace period is a period immediately after the deadline for an obligation during which a late fee, or other action that would have been taken as a result of failing to meet the deadline, is waived provided that the obligation is satisfied durin ...

and were aimed at reducing fatigue related accidents and fatalities. Called the most far-reaching rule changes in 65 years, the regulations reduced daily allowed driving time from 11 hours to 10. The most controversial measures involved the way that workdays were calculated. The calculations were not allowed to factor in such delays as food and fuel stops and other time spent waiting at, for instance, a factory for a load. The new provisions allowed drivers to stay on duty for only 14 hours, thus the time spent waiting could eat into the time a driver spent on duty. These rule changes were what the self-proclaimed "Fallen Angel" took aim at in the ricin-laden letters.Jacobs, Andrew.
Truckers Look in Their Ranks for 'Fallen Angel' Writer
, ''The New York Times'', entire paragraph reference, February 5, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009.

Letters

October 2003 letter

On October 15, 2003
, (

Press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

), ''

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

'', February 23, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. a package was discovered at a mail-sorting center in Greenville, South Carolina, near the

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport The Upstate is the region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, United States, also known as the Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerc ...

. Lemonick, Michael D.
Homegrown Terror
, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine, February 16, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. The package contained a letter and a small metal vial containing ricin powder. A label on the outside of the envelope containing the vial displayed the typed message: "Caution ricin poison enclosed in sealed container. Do not open without proper protection". The presence of ricin was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on October 21.Drociuk, Daniel.
Epidemiological Investigation of a Ricin-Containing Envelope at a Postal Facility – South Carolina 2003
, ''

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

'', 2005 Preparedness Conference, accessed May 5, 2009. The letter inside the envelope was typewritten to the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

, and stated:

''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. nowiki/>sic.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="nowiki/>sic">nowiki/>sic">sic.html" ;"title="nowiki/>sic">nowiki/>sic
Fallen Angel''

Despite the potentially deadly nature of the poison, no one was exposed to, injured by, or killed by the ricin.FBI offers $100,000 reward in ricin case
, ''CNN.com'', January 9, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. The Greenville facility where the letter was found was also declared ricin-free in the ensuing weeks.CDC warns of potential for ricin poisoning
, ''Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy'', University of Minnesota, November 20, 2003, accessed May 6, 2009. In addition, the letter had no delivery address and no postmark.
, ''redorbit.com'', February 5, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009.

November 2003 letter

On November 6, 2003, another letter, described as "nearly identical" to the October letter, was discovered. This time, the letter was addressed to

The White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 180 ...

and it was discovered at a White House mail-processing facility in Washington D.C.Hancock, David.
Ricin Letters Still a Mystery
, '' CBS News'', February 5, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. The letter contained a small vial of a white powdery substance that was initially tested negative for ricin. After subsequent testing at the mail facility resulted in positives for ricin contamination on mail equipment, the U.S. Secret Service ordered a retest that showed by November 10 the letter was "probable for ricin".Locy, Toni, and Johnson, Kevin.
Feds didn't report ricin for five days
, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', February 4, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. The letter was postmarked on October 17 in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

. Though addressed to the White House, the threatening language contained in the letter was again directed at the U.S. Department of Transportation and written by an individual calling themself "Fallen Angel", as with previous letter. The text of the letter stated:

Department of transportation
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 Secret Service did not alert the White House, the

(FBI), and other key agencies, including the CDC, of the discovery and positive tests until November 12. In the November 21, 2003 issue of ''

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report The ''Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'' (''MMWR'') is a weekly epidemiological digest for the United States published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was originally established as ''Weekly Health Index'' in 1930, ...

'' the CDC recommended that until Fallen Angel was captured, "healthcare providers and public health officials must consider ricin to be a potential public health threat and be vigilant about recognizing illness consistent with ricin exposure". The CDC's November warning mentioned only the first Fallen Angel letter. The discovery of the ricin letter at the White House facility was not disclosed to the public until early February 2004.Benedetto, Richard.
Secret Service investigated ricin quietly
, ''USA Today'', February 4, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. The public disclosure of the second ricin letter from Fallen Angel coincided with the discovery of ricin in the mail room of a senate office building.

February 2004 mail room contamination

On February 2, 2004 in a mail room serving Senator

Bill Frist William Harrison Frist (born February 22, 1952) is an American physician, businessman, and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1995 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as Senate Majority Lea ...

in the

, a white powdery substance was found on a sorting machine.Frist: Ricin confirmed but no illness reported
, ''CNN.com'', February 4, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. Tests on February 3 confirmed that the substance was ricin. The positive test results were indicated by six of eight preliminary tests on the substance. The discovery resulted in more than a dozen staffers undergoing decontamination as well as the closure of the Dirksen, Hart, and Russell Senate Office Buildings.
", ''Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy'', University of Minnesota, February 3, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. The incident was treated as a criminal probe with investigators looking carefully for any connection between the ricin found at Dirksen and the "Fallen Angel" cases.Johnston, David, and Hulse, Carl.

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', February 4, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009.

Investigations

Fallen Angel

The focus of the probe by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General fell instantly upon the individual calling themself Fallen Angel in the two letters. The FBI was the lead agency in the Fallen Angel investigation.Borenstein, Seth, and Chatterjee, Sumana.
Source of ricin may come from within the U.S.
", ''Knight-Ridder Newspapers'', via kaleo.org – ''Ka Leo'', February 5, 2004, accessed May 6, 2009. Agents questioned various individuals during their probe, such as one vocal former trucker in Florida.Appelbaum, Binyamin.
Ricin probe targets man on Southside
, ''

Florida Times Union ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...

'', February 15, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. Federal officials, most notably at the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

(DHS), remarked that the letters did not have the hallmarks of international terrorism and were more likely produced by a homegrown criminal. On January 4, 2004 the FBI, along with the USPIS and the DOT, offered a $100,000 reward in connection with the October 2003 case from Greenville, South Carolina.$100,000 Reward
", (Press release), ''Federal Bureau of Investigation'', January 4, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. In late 2004 the amount of the reward was increased to $120,000.Staff.
Reward in ricin inquiry increased
, ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

'', December 23, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. The criminal has not been captured to date. Emsley, John. ''Molecules of Murder: Chemical Molecules and Classic Cases'',
Google Books
, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008, pp. 9–12, ().

Dirksen Building contamination

Immediately following the incident in Frist's office, both the FBI and the

United States Capitol Police The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States an ...

were tasked to the investigation; like in the Fallen Angel investigation, the FBI was the lead agency. Detectives and agents focused on the possibility that the individual responsible for the 2003 letters was also responsible for the contamination at the Dirksen building. Within two weeks of the incident, investigators were questioning the validity of the positive ricin tests at the Senate building. The results raised suspicion because no source (e.g. a letter) was ever found for the ricin. It was possible that the "contamination" was from paper by-products and not ricin.NBC: Investigators question ricin test results
, ''

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

'', February 18, 2004, accessed May 5, 2009. However, later tests confirmed that the initial tests did not indicate a

false positive A false positive is an error in binary classification in which a test result incorrectly indicates the presence of a condition (such as a disease when the disease is not present), while a false negative is the opposite error, where the test resul ...

and the substance was indeed ricin. By the end of March 2005, there were no suspects and no confirmed source for the ricin found in Senator Frist's office. Investigators also found no connection to the Fallen Angel case as of the same date.Still No Suspects in Ricin Case on Capitol Hill
", '' WTOP.com'', March 31, 2005, accessed May 5, 2009. Despite those developments, investigators were not yet ready to declare a dead end to the investigation. As of 2008, no direct connection has yet been found between the Frist case and the Fallen Angel case and no explanation found for the origin of the ricin in Frist's office.Ryan, Jeffrey R. and Glarum, Jan F. ''Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Containing and Preventing Biological Threats'',
Google Books
, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008, p. 148, ().

References

External links

Fallen Angel reward poster (FBI)
(updated), ''Federal Bureau of Investigation, accessed May 5, 2009.
Fallen Angel reward poster (USPIS)
(original version), ''U.S. Postal Inspection Service'', accessed May 5, 2009.
Fallen Angel reward poster (USPIS)
, (updated) ''U.S. Postal Inspection Service'', accessed May 5, 2009.

",

Newshour with Jim Lehrer ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...

transcript and video, ''

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

'', February 4, 2004, accessed May 6, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricin letters Bioterrorism 2003 Letters (message) 2003 in the United States 2003 crimes in the United States 2003 in American politics Crimes in Washington, D.C. Terrorist incidents by unknown perpetrators Terrorist incidents involving postal systems Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2003 2003 in Washington, D.C.