NEW YORK – A man was indicted for trying to buy and distribute ricin, a highly potent and potentially fatal toxin with no known antidote, officials said.
Cheng Le was arrested by the FBI in Manhattan in December and has been in jail since his arrest, authorities said.
He is expected to be arraigned on Friday in U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan’s court.
“In the shadows of the Dark Web, criminals hide behind a veil of anonymity, sniffing out hidden opportunities to buy and sell illegal and potentially dangerous merchandise,” said Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos.
Adding, “As alleged, in this case, activity carried out in the marketplace served as a conduit for Le to obtain ricin. In his desire to acquire this potentially deadly toxin, he picked his own poison and now faces the consequences of the justice system.”
According to the indictment, which was unsealed Tuesday in federal court, these are the facts and circumstances surrounding this case:
- In December 2014, an individual contacted an FBI online covert employee on an online forum.
- During Dec. 2014, the individual exchanged a series of messages with the OCE, during which the individual explored the possibility of the covert employee supplying the individual with ricin, for the this person to resell to at least one secondary buyer.
- On or about Dec. 18, 2014, the individual directed the covert employee to send a quantity of ricin to a particular postal box in Manhattan.
- The FBI later determined that the Postal Box belonged to Cheng Le.
- Later that same day, FBI agents observed Le wear latex gloves while retrieving a package from the Postal Box and mailing it at a nearby post office.
- Law enforcement officers examined the Package, confirmed that it did not contain any hazardous materials, and determined that Le had listed a fake name as the Package’s return address.
- A postal employee informed the FBI that the Postal Employee had seen Le at the Post Office on multiple prior occasions and that Le has worn blue latex gloves on at least some of those occasions.
- The FBI prepared a package, a sham shipment, that was consistent with the individual buyer’s request to the covert employee, which was then delivered to the Postal Box.
- On Dec. 23, 2014, Le, wearing latex gloves, retrieved the Sham Shipment, opened it, and took the contents to his apartment, whereupon he was arrested by FBI agents.
The indictment charges Le, 21, in two counts: attempting to possess a biological toxin for use as a weapon, that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Also he was charged with using a fictitious name in furtherance of unlawful business involving the mail, and carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.