Latest news with #RonaldLidderdale
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
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."
New York Times
10-05-2025
- New York Times
Ohio Man Sent Threats Saying He Had Bullets Etched With People's Names, U.S. Says
An Ohio man who over the past 10 months sent dozens of threatening messages to 34 people, including politicians and members of law enforcement, is facing criminal charges of cyberstalking and making threats, federal prosecutors said on Friday. The man, Ronald Lidderdale, sent 65 letters and emails, including some in which he said that he would send the recipients bullets with their names on them or said that he was prepared to kill them. Mr. Lidderdale, 39, who was described by officials as being from central Ohio, was arrested on Friday and appeared in federal court to face charges of making interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, mailing threatening communications, false information and hoaxes, and cyberstalking. He admitted to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents this week that he sent the letters and emails intending to incite fear 'with the goal of changing behavior,' prosecutors said. Some of the letters he sent contained a white powder that he claimed in writing was the lethal poison ricin, prosecutors said. The authorities did not say what the powder was. At least one of his letters was sent with a bullet with the last name of a public official etched onto it using a screwdriver. The targets of the messages were not publicly identified. The letters featured return addresses with various names of people around Columbus, Ohio. Last week, Mr. Lidderdale sent letters with a hit list of eight targets whom he said he would kill in May, according to court documents. It was unclear from court records whether Mr. Lidderdale had a lawyer. In the messages, according to prosecutors, Mr. Lidderdale used threatening language, warning recipients that they would 'receive the gift of their names etched onto a single bullet' and that 'their skull is the target the bullet is the gift.' In other messages, Mr. Lidderdale told the recipients, 'I will kill you for your ignorant loyalty to your pedophilic party,' adding that he would kill them 'for the good of The People.' 'Your death will come when you least expect it,' he wrote in one message. It was unclear if Mr. Lidderdale targeted a certain political party. He also sent threats to news outlets around Columbus. At times, Mr. Lidderdale sent multiple letters in a single day, including 10 he mailed on Jan. 17, court documents said. Federal investigators traced online communications back to Mr. Lidderdale, according to court documents. They then found surveillance footage of Mr. Lidderdale at post offices in Columbus, where some of the threatening letters were postmarked on the days they were mailed. On May 1, an online user messaged the F.B.I.'s National Threat Operations Center using the bureau's online portal and said that they wished to kill Ohio politicians and that the messenger's patience was running out. The message originated from an iPhone that was associated with Mr. Lidderdale, according to court documents. Agents responded to that message and offered to meet the sender, who agreed to call them on May 8. The sender called and then agreed to drive to the F.B.I. field office in Columbus. Mr. Lidderdale showed up driving the Hyundai Elantra that had been observed in connection to the threats sent from the post offices. He admitted to sending the threatening letters, according to court documents.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘I will kill you;' Man accused of sending threatening letters to Ohio officials
An Ohio man has been charged with a felony after being accused of sending multiple letters to almost three dozen victims, threatening to kill Ohio officials. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Ronald Lidderdale, 39, was in court Friday. He is charged with making interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, mailing threatening communications, false information and hoaxes and cyberstalking. TRENDING STORIES: Local industrial facility closing; over 100 employees impacted Officers replace drugs with fakes in Dayton methamphetamine conspiracy case Coroner releases cause of death for former OSU player found dead in his apartment Law enforcement believes Lidderdale sent the threatening letters to public officials, including Ohio politicians, federal politicians and people involved in Ohio politics. Lidderdale is accused of sending at least 49 letters which contained suspicious white powders. Some letters even claimed the powder was ricin, a deadly poison. So far, 29 victims have received letters with white powder in them. One letter contained a 9mm bullet with the recipient's last name engraved on it. The letters contained threats against the officials like, 'I will kill you for your ignorant loyalty to your pedophilic party' and 'I will kill you for the good of The People. Your death will come when you least expect it.' Lidderdale allegedly sent letters to victims, a local TV station and law enforcement with a hit list of the eight people he planned to kill in May. Lidderdale is facing years in prison, with mailing threatening letters having a maximum sentence of 10 years and all other charges up to five years. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
