BOSTON (WHDH) - A Beverly man accused of sending letters containing white powder, blood, and cryptic threats to the Texas headquarters of an online dating website was arrested Thursday and will be arraigned this afternoon in federal court in Boston.
Liam MacLeod, 47, will be arraigned on charges of mailing threatening communications and conveying false information and hoaxes for allegedly sending nine letters, one of which contained a white powder, to the online dating website OKCupid.com.
Prosecutors alleged that between September and December 2017, OkCupid’s corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas, received nine mailings containing either threatening communications and/or suspicious substances.
On Sept. 12, 2017, MacLeod allegedly sent an envelope addressed to OKCupid’s CEO that contained a white powder and a hand-written note that read, “Greeting from Beverly, Ban me will ya, Welcome to the wonderful world of ANTHRAX. Expect a package within the next couple of days, It won’t be ticking but it should be interesting!”
Then, on Sept. 14, 2017, MacLeod allegedly mailed another envelope addressed to OkCupid’s CEO in Dallas containing a typewritten letter with the following message, amongst other text, “How’d you like what I sent you? Aww, go take a powder. Oh, the things I have in store for you! I can go on like this for years. How long can you last? Incidentally, my father was an angel: That’s Hell’s Angel to you. You see, we have some pull. Take for example your vehicles. We now know who owns what, and where each of you parks his. Hmm, think of the possibilities!”
Prosecutors also allege that on Sept. 20, he sent a third envelope containing blood that he said was infected with AIDS.
Each of the mailings generated a hazmat response by federal law enforcement in order to rule out the presence of active biological or chemical agents. Laboratory testing later confirmed that the substances contained in the envelopes mailed by MacLeod, including the white powdery substance, did not contain hazardous materials.
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