Posted on 04/16/2008 10:46:21 AM PDT by woofie
LAS VEGAS (AP) - A man who authorities believe was sickened by the deadly toxin ricin was arrested Wednesday on federal charges after he was released from a hospital. Roger Bergendorff, 57, had been hospitalized since Feb. 14.
He is charged with possession of a biological toxin and two weapons offenses stemming from materials authorities said were found Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 in his room at an extended-stay motel several blocks off the Las Vegas Strip.
"He was released from the hospital and he's in custody," said Agent Joseph Dickey, spokesman for the FBI office in Las Vegas.
The three charges carry a possible penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a $750,000 fine. Bergendorff was scheduled appear Wednesday afternoon before a federal judge in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.
A six-page complaint alleges that Bergendorff obtained castor beans, from which ricin is derived, by mail in June 2002, and made ricin from them while living in the basement of his cousin's house in Riverton, Utah.
Bergendorff's cousin, Thomas Tholen, 54, was indicted earlier this month in Salt Lake City for allegedly failing to report that the substance was being illegally produced.
Tholen was charged with misprision of felony, which officials said means he had knowledge of a crime but failed to report it.
The manufacture or possession of ricin, a biological agent, is prohibited by federal law. The only legal use for the substance is cancer research.
I bet his lawyer determines he was doing cancer research
I’m thinking there is a bit more to the story. For the guy to just come up and have it in a Vegas hotel room? I’m thinking some kinda blackmail or revenge plot. This story that the cops drags up...has no “legs”...and simply brings up more questions.
I bet some of the best cancer-research is done on the strip...
His DU name was "Bean King" ?
Why didn’t the hospital simply pull the plug on this %^&*^%&^.
would have saved taxpayers a lot of money....
Wow. I’ve got dozens of great big castorbean plants in the forest here. They’re all “volunteers” and this is the first year they’ve been here.
Maybe castor beans should be converted into fuel! From a search:”The seed of candlenut (Aleurites molucanna) contains about 50 percent oil and burns like a candle. The ancient Polynesians brought this tree to the Hawaiian Islands where it has become naturalized. The dried nuts were cracked open and the seeds were skewered onto the midrib of a coconut frond (or slender bamboo stem) and set on fire. [Since they contain about 50 percent unsaturated oil, the seeds ignite readily.] The Polynesians used them for candles that burned for about 45 minutes. Hawaiians also extracted the oil for many other uses: to shine and waterproof wooden bowls, to mix with charcoal to make black canoe paint, to burn as torches, and to burn in stone lamps for light.”
He is a runner up for the Darwin Award.
Maybe the hospital billing was why he was arrested after he was released from the hospital.
Well it was Valentines Day.
Coma Guy is under arrest for producing ricin. Cousin already charged with covering it up.
He failed to meet the Darwin Award requirement of removing himself from the gene pool though death.
From The New York Times:
The six-page indictment said Mr. Von Bergendorff told investigators he had been experimenting with ricin production since the 1990s and had made ricin in Utah and Reno, Nev., in recent years. He described learning to make it as “an exotic idea” and told them he has “experimented with a lot of things, even counterfeiting.”
Thanks for the heads up! Not even sure I still have the list, but will try to look for it later if I have time.
What a strange case this has turned out to be. Wonder what those two boys were up to?
That’s why he’s only the runner up.
Can anyone tell me if the ‘tools’ required to make ricin particles fine enough to be airborne the same or similar to the tools required to make mil grade anthrax?
PING !
Hmmmm .... I’m not sure. Interesting question, dear friend.
Thank you for the ping, STARWISE.
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