Massachusetts man arrested for sending white powder to Trump Jr
- Published
Daniel Frisiello, 24
A 24-year-old Massachusetts man has been arrested for sending a white powder to Donald Trump Jr's home, leading to his wife's hospitalisation.
The letter, which was found to contain harmless corn starch, included a profanity-filled rant against the eldest son of the US president.
Daniel Frisiello was arrested while on his way to work on Thursday, prosecutors say.
He is also accused of sending similar letters to four other people.
"These kinds of hoaxes may not cause physical harm but they scare the heck out of people," said US Attorney Andrew Lelling, in a statement announcing the 10 charges against Mr Frisiello.
"These hoaxes are easy to pull off - all you need is an envelope, a stamp and a white powdery substance."
"So you'll see this office aggressively pursue these kinds of cases," Mr Lelling added.
Mrs Trump Jr was briefly hospitalised following the hoax threat
Mr Frisiello is accused of multiple charges of posting threats and committing hoaxes.
According to officers, Mr Frisiello lives with his parents and works for the Catholic Charities at a childcare centre, but has now been placed on leave.
On his Facebook page, he identifies himself as a Democrat.
Authorities say the suspect also sent similar letters around the country, including to the office of Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat.
Another alleged target was Antonio Sabato Jr, a former soap star and model who is running as a Republican for a congressional seat in California.
All of the letters appeared to target public officials who had recently been featured in US news reports.
The letter sent to the Manhattan apartment owned by Mr Trump Jr, 40, was opened by his wife Vanessa Trump, 40, on 12 February.
She called police to report that she was coughing and felt nauseous, and first responders decontaminated her at the scene before transporting her to hospital.
"You are an awful, awful person. I am surprised that your father lets you speak on TV," the letter read, prosecutors say.
"You the family idiot. Eric looks smart," it continued, referred to Mr Trump Jr's younger brother.
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Officials say they tracked Mr Frisiello through his online purchase of a "glitter bomb" which was sent to a Stanford University professor.
According to charging documents, "a glitter bomb is a letter containing glitter sent to an unsuspecting individual that, when opened, spills out onto the recipient".
Mr Frisiello is due to make his first court appearance later on Thursday.
- Published12 February 2018
- Published13 February 2018
