Officials: Utah vet admits to sending ricin envelopes
President, administration officials were intended targets
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Navy veteran confessed to sending envelopes containing the substance from which ricin is derived to President Donald Trump and members of his administration, authorities said.
William Clyde Allen III, 39, was arrested at his home in Logan, north of Salt Lake City, according to documents filed Wednesday night in a Utah court. He told them he had purchased castor beans and sent the letters.
The documents filed to justify Allen’s arrest did not state a motive. He was held on a $25,000 cash-only bond.
State investigators working with the FBI said the envelopes were mailed last week to the president, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the Navy’s top officer,
Adm. John Richardson.
Authorities said the letters, which tested positive for ricin, were intercepted and no one was injured.
Allen served in the Navy from 1998 to 2002, according to Navy records. He has a criminal record in Utah, including child abuse and attempted aggravated assault.
Last year, he sent a vague email threat to the Air Force, though military officials did not believe he was capable of carrying it out.
Another letter sent to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert in July blamed him for Allen’s wife’s health problems, said Logan police Capt. Tyson Budge.