Federal officials announce indictment in one of several anthrax hoaxes

By Karen Gullo

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Declaring the threat of bioterrorism is no joking matter, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Tuesday those who fake anthrax or other terrorist scares will face federal prosecution. He announced the indictment of one such man in Connecticut.

False threats of anthrax attacks are “grotesque transgressions of the public trust,” Ashcroft said at a news conference.

Ashcroft said the hoaxes tax the resources of an already overburdened law enforcement system.

“The threat of bioterrorism is no joking matter,” the attorney general said.

He detailed the prosecution of a Connecticut state employee who sat by quietly as a state agency building was evacuated for what the man allegedly knew to be a false threat involving white powder.

The hoaxes have become a serious headache for law enforcement officials, who are overwhelmed by calls from worried Americans about possible anthrax contamination.

Authorities want to get the word out that hoaxes are creating problems for law enforcement officials and are costly for companies that have to shut down operations. A disruption caused by the anthrax scare in Connecticut cost one state government office $1.5 million, said a federal law enforcement official.

In addition, valuable resources of police agencies are being wasted in dealing with the hoaxes, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The FBI arrested two people outside New York who had sent hoax anthrax letters, officials said.

In Connecticut, an employee of the state Department of Environmental Protection was charged Monday with making false statements during an anthrax scare.

White powder on a paper towel with the misspelled label “anthax” was found on Joseph Faryniarz’s desk last week.

Faryniarz knew the incident was a hoax but didn’t tell FBI officials, authorities said. He also tried to blame the incident on co-workers.

He later admitted that the colleagues were not involved, and admitted he had known almost from the beginning of the scare that it was a hoax.

Federal law allows a fine of up to twice the losses in such hoaxes. The state agency estimated that in addition to the two-day, $1.5 million cost of the disruption, decontamination will cost about $40,000.