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Lebanon inmate accused of threatening Trump, federal judges in powder-laced letters

Posted at 9:46 AM, Feb 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-16 11:38:35-05

CINCINNATI -- A Warren County inmate is accused of threatening President Donald Trump and federal judges in powder-laced letters, according to a federal indictment handed down Wednesday. 

The indictment states Rodney D. Cydrus, 47, currently an inmate at the Lebanon Correctional Institution, mailed letters threatening to injure multiple government officials on five separate occasions from Jan. 17 to 31. The threatened officials included Trump, federal judges, the FBI and the Federal Public Defender’s Office.

Four of the letters were addressed to the FBI, and one letter was addressed to the Federal Public Defender’s Office. In addition, two of the letters included a powdered substance as part of the threat, although the powder was determined to be non-toxic.

Mailing threatening communications is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, which will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.