SEATTLE — An Everett man accused of mailing explosive devices to government agencies isn’t likely to stand trial soon.
A federal judge in January approved a request to keep Thanh Cong Phan hospitalized for up to four more months.
Phan lives with schizophrenia. The court wants to see if continued mental health treatment can restore his competency, so he can assist in his own defense.
Phan, then 43, was arrested in March. He is believed to have sent as many as 18 packages to government offices in and around the nation’s capital. Among other destinations, they were mailed to the White House, CIA, FBI headquarters and military installations.
He remains charged in U.S. District Court in Seattle with shipping explosives, which is a felony. His warden recently recommended that additional time be allotted for treatment.
Many of the documents surrounding the case are sealed under court orders, meaning they are not available to the public.
A competency evaluation was ordered for Phan in April.
That report was filed under seal in June. Soon after, prosecutors successfully requested that Phan remain under treatment for up to four months.
His case was back in court in Seattle on Jan. 31. The judge authorized continued mental health treatment for another four months. The commitment order lists a federal medical facility in North Carolina.
Another status report is due to the judge on March 28 describing Phan’s prescriptions and symptoms.
The case also has lagged in part due to a third party — with no obvious ties to Phan — wanting to participate in the court filings. That person, who was representing himself and listed an address in Pennsylvania, was turned away and appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
That appeal was denied in December, with a notation reading, “This case remains closed. No further filings will be entertained.”
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @rikkiking.
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