Mississippi Man Arrested in Ricin Scare

[pcosmar]

A fair trial?

is that a joke?

He is being tried in the media without any facts. Just vague accusation that his letters "tested Positive" for Ricin.

The likelihood that it is a false positive is 99.9%. As every Ricin scare has been false.

The man has committed no crime.

The organ harvesting and selling is another question,, and at the time of his original claim of it,,, it was in fact happening in several places.
Not an outlandish claim and may have more merit than is being given.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/09/ucla.cadaver.suit/

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Top officials at UCLA Tuesday voluntarily suspended the university's Willed Body Program after accusations that its director and others sold body parts for profit, a lawyer for the school said.

If you still want to question the reality of this morbid issue,, I can easily post dozens of links.


.

 

[amy31416]

I'm going to have to guess that these letter tested positive for ricin due to a material used that contained castor oil, like Pete said. Are there any substantial details yet? Was there literally white powder in the envelopes? The grade of ricin? Source? Anything?

I'm thinking that we're not going to get much of that.

 

[itshappening]

He'll plead guilty and get 20 years.

Just another day in the justice system

 

[pcosmar]

I'm going to have to guess that these letter tested positive for ricin due to a material used that contained castor oil, like Pete said. Are there any substantial details yet? Was there literally white powder in the envelopes? The grade of ricin? Source? Anything?

I'm thinking that we're not going to get much of that.

You are the Chemist. I am not.
but with just a little research it is clear that this is overblown hype.

Lots of accusations,, but most "govt agencies" worldwide reject Ricin as being to difficult to use.
It has only been used successfully once to my knowledge, and that was a very sophisticated assassination by a State Intelligence Branch.

Mostly,, it is false Positive tests and media hype.
http://gawker.com/5994835/two-recent-high+profile-false-positives-for-ricin

 

[amy31416]

That's why I'm looking for more details--I'm interested in looking at all the "facts" that are available and trying to piece it together. I know a fair bit about what work/equipment goes into military-grade anthrax from my microbiology stint working with geobacillus thermophilus (anthrax is also a bacilli, and they have similar properties.) But I don't know much about ricin, how it's extracted and what sort of analytical equipment is used, along with its chemical properties.

In the end, I want to know if they're, once again, putting an innocent person in prison. I have a few pages of tech info up so far, but haven't had the chance to really look at it. So if there's anything else you find that's more on the tech end/"facts" released by the gov't, post it here. I don't care so much about whether or not he's bipolar.

 

[bolil]

So, this Ricin scare has probably led many people to google 'ricin', I wonder if doing so raises any flags. Or, grants a reason for surveillance of a persons future activities.

 

[MelissaWV]

I'm going to have to guess that these letter tested positive for ricin due to a material used that contained castor oil, like Pete said. Are there any substantial details yet? Was there literally white powder in the envelopes? The grade of ricin? Source? Anything?

I'm thinking that we're not going to get much of that.

Another good question would be whether the machines that automatically test for substances had been calibrated to be more sensitive in the wake of what happened in Boston.

 

[amy31416]

Another good question would be whether the machines that automatically test for substances had been calibrated to be more sensitive in the wake of what happened in Boston.

Yeah. On Fox, they were reporting that Jeff Flake and a couple others also received these "laced" letters, but that seems to have been false positives. CNN never reported that as far as I know.

 

[WhistlinDave]

So, this Ricin scare has probably led many people to google 'ricin', I wonder if doing so raises any flags. Or, grants a reason for surveillance of a persons future activities.

My guess is, probably only if you do it repeatedly, and/or you are Googling lots of other sensitive words and phrases too.
I'd also guess you'd probably be flagged pretty quickly if you searched for it with the words "How to make" stuck in front of it.

Another good question would be whether the machines that automatically test for substances had been calibrated to be more sensitive in the wake of what happened in Boston.

That's a great question... I wonder if they can calibrate them to be more or less sensitive? I would think they'd always have them running at whatever full sensitivity they're capable of, but who knows?

 

[torchbearer]

last i read, prosecution wasn't able to put forth any evidence linking him to the letters or ricin production. they had one finger print, and it wasn't his.

 

[Aratus]

Sooooooo it could be that his disjointed ranting on the internet put his ever lovin' ELVIS impersonatin' self on quite a list!!!

 

[pcosmar]

I had a thought,, and went looking.. The guy plays guitar right?

https://www.backstagemusic.com/inde...uitar-polish-comparison-the-unvarnished-story

C.F. Martin Professional Guitar Polish ($7.50, 6 oz.) is a good polish we use in about the same manner as the Kyser polish. It seems to have a lower abrasion factor than the Claytons, does a good job of putting on a shine, and is a good, general-purpose cleaner and polish. This polish contains mineral oil and castor oil, and the label has several exposure cautions that should be observed. While Martin polish is a good, general purpose polish, we tend to use this as an initial cleaner on an instrument that's not all that dirty, but could use a good cleaning before the final polish is applied.

I wonder how many other products could give a false positive for Ricin??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil

Industry uses yearly 600-800 million pounds of castor oil and its derivatives have applications in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold resistant plastics, waxes and polishes, nylon, pharmaceuticals and perfumes.

 

[pcosmar]

Been looking for more.. and not surprisingly there isn't much.

Oh,, they are still holding him..
But there is no evidence. Other than the initial tests (which are false positives 99.9% of the time)
Nothing found at his home,, no searches on his computer. No DNA or prints on the letters.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/22/3268294/hearing-to-continue-monday-in.html

On Monday, FBI Agent Brandon Grant testified that Friday searches of Curtis' vehicle and house in Corinth, Miss., found no ricin, ingredients for the poison, or devices used to make it. A search of Curtis' computers found no evidence he researched making ricin.

"There was no apparent ricin, castor beans or any material there that could be used for the manufacturing, like a blender or something," Grant testified. He speculated that Curtis could have thrown away the processor. Grant said technicians are now doing a "deep dive" on the suspect's computers after initially finding no "dirty words" indicating Curtis had searched for information on ricin.

Through his lawyer, Curtis has denied involvement in letters sent to Obama, Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, and a Lee County, Miss., judge. The first of the letters was found April 15.

You would think that Lab Tests would be completed by now.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

I'm going to have to guess that these letter tested positive for ricin due to a material used that contained castor oil, like Pete said. Are there any substantial details yet? Was there literally white powder in the envelopes? The grade of ricin? Source? Anything?

I'm thinking that we're not going to get much of that.

Been looking for more.. and not surprisingly there isn't much.

Oh,, they are still holding him..
But there is no evidence. Other than the initial tests (which are false positives 99.9% of the time)
Nothing found at his home,, no searches on his computer. No DNA or prints on the letters.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/22/3268294/hearing-to-continue-monday-in.html


You would think that Lab Tests would be completed by now.

IIRC, there was a news story that further lab tests were negative.

For now, they'll just have to put him on the no gun and no fly lists. And if he writes any more drunken schizophrenic letters to politicians, they can declare him an imminent threat or enemy combatant and drone his ass.

 

[pcosmar]

IIRC, there was a news story that further lab tests were negative.

For now, they'll just have to put him on the no gun and no fly lists. And if he writes any more drunken schizophrenic letters to politicians, they can declare him an imminent threat or enemy combatant and drone his ass.

Well,,there is admittedly NO Evidence of any crime.

And there is the possibility that a dozen years ago,, as a janitor, he actually saw something he wasn't supposed to see and made the mistake of reporting it.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Well,,there is admittedly NO Evidence of any crime.

Evidence? They found yellowcake in his fridge!

 

[Lucille]

Ricin Suspect Released from Jail; Hearing Canceled
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/n...Tuesday-for-Miss-Ricin-Suspect-204257051.html

The Mississippi man charged with sending poisoned letters to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator and a state judge was released from jail on Tuesday, federal official said, though the reason for the release wasn't immediately clear.

Jeff Woodfin, chief deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service in Oxford, Miss., said suspect Paul Kevin Curtis has been released from custody, though Woodfin said he doesn't know if there were any conditions on the release.

The development comes less than two hours after officials canceled a detention and preliminary hearing without explaining the reason for the change.

His lawyer Christi McCoy, who has been pushing for the charges to be dropped, said in a text message Tuesday that she could only confirm that her client has been released.

"I can tell you he is with his family," McCoy said.

McCoy has said that there is a news conference scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT with federal authorities and defense attorneys.

Curtis was arrested last Wednesday at his house in Corinth, Miss., and charged with sending ricin-laced letters to Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker and a Lee County, Miss., judge.

Tuesday's hearing in federal court was canceled about 90 minutes after it was supposed to begin. Lawyers spent that time conferring with the judge. Later, Curtis and family members were escorted into a meeting room with his lawyers, followed by a probation officer.

A day earlier, FBI Agent Brandon Grant testified searches on Friday of Curtis' vehicle and house in Corinth, Miss., found no ricin, ingredients for the poison, or devices used to make it. A search of Curtis' computers found no evidence he researched making ricin...

 

[thoughtomator]

So, now we have another faked incident, co-incident with the Boston incident. Coincidence? Or more evidence of a coordinated attempt to scare the public?

 

[pcosmar]

Ricin Suspect Released from Jail; Hearing Canceled
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/n...Tuesday-for-Miss-Ricin-Suspect-204257051.html

Good news there.
Seems to me he has a good case for a law suit,, but is likely just relieved.

 

[affa]

he also seems to have been in a long drawn out argument with a former business partner and the possibility exists he was being set up.