Aurora Man Pleads Guilty to Mailing Threats to Government Officials Which Included White Powder

DENVER—Jay Stuart DeVaughn, aka Jay Paige Edwards, of Aurora, Colorado, pled guilty this morning before U.S. District Court Judge John L. Kane to 13 counts of mailing threatening communications, including threatening letters containing white powder to the president, members of Congress, and the Argentine Consulate. DeVaughn, who appeared at the hearing in custody, is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Kane on November 19, 2010.

The plea agreement outlines criminal conduct in three judicial Districts, Colorado, the Northern District of Alabama, and the Middle District of Alabama. According to the plea agreement, the defendant mailed threatening letters, which included a bag containing white powder, to elected officials from all three districts as well as the Argentine Consulate. With the exception of the Argentine Consulate letters, each threatening letter included the name of a Metro Denver doctor as the return address, and referenced healthcare reform as the reason the author of the letters was angry.

According to the stipulated facts in the plea agreement, as it relates to the Colorado criminal conduct, on September 10, 2009, the White House mail facility in Washington, D.C. intercepted a letter addressed to “President Barack Obama.” The defendant mailed the letter from Denver, Colorado. The letter stated essentially “...your so called health care ‘reform’ is a...joke...Have you heard of anthrax??? Get a whiff of this...” Enclosed in the letter was a plastic bag containing white powder. On September 4, 2009, the defendant mailed a threatening letter containing white powder to Congresswoman Diana DeGette’s office in Washington, D.C. On November 24, 2009, DeVaughn mailed a threatening letter containing white powder to Senator Mark Udall’s office in Denver. On November 25, 2009, DeVaughn mailed a threatening letter containing white powder to Senator Michael Bennett’s office in Denver. On that same date he sent Congressman Mike Coffman a threatening letter containing white powder to the Congressman’s Lone Tree, Colorado office. On January 4, 2010, DeVaughn mailed a threatening letter with white powder to the Argentine Consulate in Los Angeles, California. On January 10, 2010, a white powder letter was mailed to the Argentine Consulate in New York.

FBI agents were able to match the handwriting on the threatening white powder letters to the handwriting of the defendant. The Secret Service was able to match the defendant’s handwriting to that of the threat letter sent to the president. Agents also matched fingerprints from some of the white powder letters to DeVaughn.

Regarding the criminal conduct involving the Northern District of Alabama, on January 3, 2010, DeVaughn mailed a threatening letter containing white powder to Congressman Richard Shelby’s office in Birmingham, Alabama. On January 5, 2010, the defendant mailed a letter containing white powder to Senator Jeff Session’s office, also in Birmingham, Alabama. On January 4, 2010, DeVaughn mailed a threatening letter with white powder to Congressman Mike Rogers’ office in Anniston, Alabama.

The defendant’s criminal conduct involving the Middle District of Alabama included a January 3, 2010 threatening letter with white powder mailed to Congressman Richard Shelby’s Montgomery, Alabama office; a January 4, 2010 threatening letter with white powder mailed to Senator Jeff Sessions’ Montgomery, Alabama office; and the January 4, 2010 mailing of a threatening letter containing white powder to Congressman Mike Rogers’ Montgomery, Alabama office.

Persons receiving the letter reasonably believed that they had been subjected to the use of a biological weapon, specifically anthrax. Upon receiving the letters, emergency personnel were called and responded. Further evaluation of the white powder substance revealed that it was not harmful.

In DeVaughn’s Colorado case, he pled guilty to one count of mailing a threat against the president, which carries a penalty of not more than five years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000; four counts of mailing threatening communications, which carries a penalty of not more than 10 years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine; and two counts of threatening communications via interstate commerce, which carries a penalty of not more than five years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. He also pled guilty to three counts of conveying false information and hoaxes to elected officials in the Northern District of Alabama, and three counts of conveying false information and hoaxes to elected officials in the Middle District of Alabama. The penalty for those crimes is not more than five years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine, per count.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the United States Secret Service.

DeVaughn is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Holloway.