A Mississippi man identified as celebrity impersonator entertainer Paul Kevin Curtis has been arrested in connection with the ricin scare in Washington, D.C. The Department of Justice confirms 45-year-old Curtis was taken into custody Wednesday at his Corinth, Mississippi home. He has been charged with threatening President Obama and sending threatening letters. Curtis is set to appear in federal court today.
Curtis is accused of sending threatening letters possibly tainted with poison to the president and Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker. The letters were intercepted Tuesday at separate mail handling facilities in Washington because they tested positive for ricin, a lethal poison made from Castor beans. As little as 500 micrograms of the toxin can kill an adult.
The FBI said Wednesday that preliminary field tests indicated the presence of ricin in the letters, but the bureau noted at those tests can produce false positives. Additional tests are being performed and results are due soon.
"Only a full analysis performed at an accredited laboratory can determine the presence of a biological agent such as ricin," the FBI said. "Those tests are in the process of being conducted and generally take from 24 to 48 hours."
The entire Curtis family is in shock over the arrest, according to Curtis’ cousin Ricky. "We're all in shock. I don't think anybody had a clue that this kind of stuff was weighing on his mind," Ricky Curtis told reporters.
The Associated Press has described Curtis as an Elvis Presley impersonator who previously claimed to have uncovered a conspiracy to sell human organs and other body parts on the black market. Curtis uncovered the alleged conspiracy while working at a hospital from 1998 to 2000. He claimed to have found dismembered body parts and organs in a hospital morgue’s refrigerator.
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