Ohio man charged with threatening violence in letters to state officials, law enforcement
May 12 (UPI) -- An Ohio man has been charged with federal crimes for threatening violence in dozens of letters and emails directed at state officials, law enforcement and the media, according to the Justice Department.
Ronald Lidderdale, 39, was charged Friday with making interstate communications with "a threat to kidnap or injure, mailing threatening communications, false information and hoaxes and cyberstalking."
According to charging documents, Lidderdale is accused of sending more than 49 letters containing suspicious white powders, which he claimed was Ricin. Another letter contained a 9mm bullet with the last name of a public official etched on it.
In the dozens of letters mailed between July and August, Lidderdale is accused of threatening violence against each recipient, saying, "I will kill you for your ignorant loyalty to your pedophilic party" or "I will kill you for the good of The People. Your death will come when you least expect it," according to court documents.
Court documents also say the New Albany man recently sent a letter to a local TV station, as well as emails to local law enforcement, outlining his alleged plans to kill eight individuals this month.
Last week, Lidderdale told the FBI that the letters and emails were meant to incite fear with the goal of changing behavior, according to agents.
If convicted, Lidderdale could face years in federal prison. The maximum penalty for mailing threatening communications is up to 10 years in prison. The penalty for making interstate communications, with a threat to kidnap or injure, conveying false information and cyberstalking are also federal crimes and punishable by up to five years in prison.
"Targeting public officials with threatening messages and substances is a serious federal crime that won't go unpunished," said FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena latarola.
"FBI agents worked closely with our local, state and federal partners to investigate these incidents and arrest the suspected offender."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Judge strikes reference to ex-Illinois speaker Madigan's personal fortune from sentencing record
CHICAGO — A federal judge on Tuesday struck from the court record a reference to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's personal net worth of more than $40 million, agreeing with the Democrat's defense team that it should have been kept private, even as the attorneys acknowledged the move was 'hollow' given that it was already widely publicized. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey said he didn't find any 'bad faith' on the part of the federal prosecutors who included the figure in a filing last week ahead of Madigan's highly anticipated sentencing on Friday, but found that common practice would be to file such personal information under seal. Blakey's ruling came before the attorneys delivered arguments over sentencing guidelines at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, technically kicking off the sentencing process. Blakey took the matter under advisement until Friday's hearing. Federal prosecutors made Madigan's net worth public for the first time in a response to a sentencing memorandum filed by his attorneys, arguing that the defendant's 'greed is even more appalling given his law firm's success.' Daniel Collins, an attorney for Madigan, called the inclusion of the former speaker's personal fortune improper and a 'gratuitous effort' to publicly identify his net worth. 'It is not necessary to include the number in order for the government to make an argument about greed,' Collins said. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker countered to the judge that the defense left the door open by arguing in filings that Madigan was solely motivated by a desire to help people. She also said the figure is relevant as the government seeks a fine in the case. 'It's fair for the government to rebut that narrative and show the defendant was motivated by greed not need,' Streicker said. 'This is a defendant that enjoyed every advantage and significant financial wealth and still turned to bribery and fraud.' In February, Madigan was convicted of 10 of 23 counts, including marquee allegations that he agreed to squeeze lucrative, do-nothing contracts from ComEd for pals such as former Ald. Frank Olivo and Ald. Michael Zalewski and precinct captains Ray Nice and Edward Moody, all while the utility won a series of major legislation victories. Madigan was also convicted on six of seven counts — including wire fraud and Travel Act violations — regarding a plan to get former Ald. Daniel Solis, a key FBI mole who testified at length in the trial, appointed to a state board. Jurors deadlocked on all six counts related to Madigan's co-defendant former ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain. _______
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Proof is in the pudding': Trump DOJ tells court it will seek dismissal of Abrego Garcia case
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it plans to seek the dismissal of a civil case ordering them to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the U.S., arguing in a new court filing that the case is now "moot," given that he is now back in U.S. custody. In the filing, lawyers for the Trump administration told U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis that they plan to submit an official motion to dismiss the case on "mootness grounds" by June 16. Justice Department officials said they have "done exactly what plaintiffs asked for and what this court ordered them to do" – that is, to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. from El Salvador, where he was deported under the Alien Enemies Act in March in what Trump officials acknowledged was an administrative error. But the filing is likely to do little to quell the mounting legal fight surrounding Abrego Garcia's detention and efforts to secure his return from Salvadorian custody. Federal Judge James Boasberg Finds Probable Cause To Hold Trump In Contempt Over Deportation Flights Upon being returned to the U.S., Abrego Garcia was immediately sent to Tennessee to face federal charges related to transporting undocumented immigrants in the U.S., stemming from an arrest years earlier. Read On The Fox News App Court documents show the Justice Department filed the charges against Abrego Garcia on May 21 – prompting a flurry of fresh questions as to when the investigation and impaneling of a grand jury would have taken place. Lawyers for Abrego Garcia described the timing of his return from Salvadorian custody as "pure farce," and told Xinis in a filing of their own late last week that they plan to file a sanctions motion against the government by Wednesday. Trump's Remarks Could Come Back To Bite Him In Abrego Garcia Deportation Battle They noted that lawyers for the Trump administration were continuing to tell the court, even six days after he was indicted, that they did not have the power to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. They also noted that, in their view, a contempt charge and sanctions against the government were warranted – reminding Xinis that the Maryland court still has jurisdiction over the civil case. Xinis, for her part, suggested last month that the Trump administration could be held in contempt for their refusal to comply with the court – describing their lack of candor in the discovery proceedings as beating a "frustrated and dead horse." Justice Kagan Snaps At Trump Lawyer In Major Case: 'Every Court Has Ruled Against You' Trump administration lawyers sought to dispel the notion that they intentionally flouted the court on Tuesday, describing plaintiffs' characterization of their actions as "desperate and disappointing." "To be sure, the parties have had pointed disagreements on discovery issues, including because defendants could not share state secrets and other protected materials that would have demonstrated their good-faith compliance with the court's orders," the administration said Tuesday. Click To Get The Fox News App "But the proof is in the pudding – defendants have returned Abrego Garcia to the United States just as they were ordered to do." Xinis, an Obama appointee, previously criticized the administration for failing to comply with her court's requests for information in the case, and accused officials in a blistering eight-page order of submitting "vague, evasive and incomplete" responses that she said demonstrated "willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations."Original article source: 'Proof is in the pudding': Trump DOJ tells court it will seek dismissal of Abrego Garcia case
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Body found, 100-plus arrested amid violent LA protests of ICE raids
June 10 (UPI) -- Local law enforcement is investigating the death of a man whose body was found on a downtown Los Angeles sidewalk early Tuesday morning, where protests and looting have occurred. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call at 1:30 a.m. PDT regarding an unresponsive man on a sidewalk in the downtown area of West 3rd Street and Broadway, KTLA reported. The unidentified man was dead, and his cause of death is being investigated. Several businesses in the area were looted and vandalized at about the same time that the police received the emergency call. The LAPD reported it made more than 100 arrests connected to Monday's protests, including 14 for looting. Mayor condemns looting, violence and vandalism Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addressed the violence and looting during a Tuesday morning press conference. She told reporters city officials have not received word of raids because Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not notify the city when ICE raids are planned. "What we rely on is reporting from the community, especially the immigrant rights organizations that have formed the 'rapid response network,' "Bass told media. "I do not believe that individuals that commit vandalism and violence in our city really are in support of immigrants," Bass told reporters. "They have another agenda." She said the "unrest that has happened are a few blocks within the downtown area" and not all of downtown or citywide. "The visuals make it seem as though our entire city is in flames, and that is not the case at all," Bass explained. "The violence and the damage is unacceptable. It is not going to be tolerated, and the individuals will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." She said those who participate and make it home at night should not think they got away with it because local police are investigating, and "there will be follow-up and arrests." Bass also said Los Angeles "was peaceful" on Thursday. Bass blames ICE raids for violence "There was nothing going on here that warranted the federal intervention that took place the very next day," Bass told reporters. "If we want to look at the cause of what is happening here, I take it back to raids that took place on Friday and the uncertainty and the fear and the fact that families across the city are terrified." She said city officials don't know how many people ICE has detained and some people have not had contact with legal representation or their families. "When the administration started, they said this was about crime," she said. "They were going to go after violent felons, drug dealers, and I don't know how that matches with the scenes that we saw of people at Home Depot running through the parking lot because they were afraid they would be arrested." Bass said vandalism and graffiti "have been extensive," and she wants to meet with local business leaders and faith leaders to discuss how to clean up the downtown area ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup, which Los Angeles is scheduled to host. She also announced that she will attend a 6 p.m. interfaith prayer vigil "calling for peace" and "supporting immigrant Angelenos," but did not say where the vigil is scheduled. The L.A. riots prompted President Donald Trump to call up the National Guard to protect federal buildings, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he will transfer 700 Marines to the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of illegally calling up the National Guard, but Trump said the violence would have "completely obliterated" Los Angeles.