Sacramento Man Ordered to Pay Victims and Government Responders for Costs Related to Anthrax Hoax

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Marc M. Keyser, 68, of Sacramento, was ordered today by United States District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. to pay nearly $7,000 in costs that various victims and government agencies incurred in response to Keyser’s fake anthrax mailings in October 2008. On April 26, 2010, Judge Damrell sentenced Keyser to 51 months in prison and three years of supervised release for sending anthrax hoax letters but deferred until today the determination of the amount of restitution to be paid back.

Keyser admitted mailing over 100 packages containing fake anthrax to media outlets and politicians throughout the country and to Starbucks and McDonalds in Sacramento. Keyser was convicted by a jury on September 17, 2009, of charges relating to three specific victims—the Office of Congressman George Radanovich in Modesto, a Sacramento Starbucks, and a Sacramento McDonalds. He was specifically convicted of three counts of committing an anthrax hoax and two counts of mailing threatening communications. The restitution ordered today was divided as follows:

Modesto Fire Department—costs of response to the scene: $2,438.79
Modesto Police Department—costs of response to the scene: $748.29
Office of U.S. Congressman George Radanovich—costs of office closure: $1,200.00
Sacramento Fire Department—costs of response to the scenes: $609.06
Sacramento County Public Health Lab—costs of testing packages: $1,681.56
Total: $6,677.70

This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jean Hobler prosecuted the case.