ATLANTA, Jan 17 (Reuters) – A federal jury on Friday
convicted two alleged members of a Georgia militia group with
conspiring to produce a toxic agent to poison government
officials.
The jury in Gainesville, Georgia, convicted Samuel Crump,
71, and Ray Adams, 57, of conspiring to produce ricin for use as
a weapon, according to federal court records.
The two men face a maximum punishment of life in prison,
although under federal sentencing guidelines will likely serve
less time, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, Adams met in April 2011 with
co-conspirators and suggested forming a militia group to attack
government buildings with toxins.
In September of that year, Crump allegedly discussed a plan
to produce 10 lbs (4.5 kg) of ricin and distribute it to several
cities across the United States, the indictment said.
Ricin, a highly toxic substance, is found naturally in
castor beans, but it takes a deliberate act to manufacture it
and use it to poison people, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure to even a small amount
of ricin can cause death and no known antidote exists.
In that meeting, Crump identified Adams as the man who would
make the ricin, the indictment said.
Crump and Adams were two of four alleged North Georgia
militia members arrested in late 2011. Authorities said they had
been monitoring the group for months with the help of a
confidential informant, who recorded conversations about the
men’s plans to carry out attacks against federal buildings and
employees.
Two of the four, Frederick Thomas and Dan Roberts, pleaded
guilty in 2012 to conspiracy charges and were sentenced to five
years in prison. Thomas was described by federal authorities as
the group’s leader.
Thomas had made a list of government employees, politicians
and others who he said should be “taken out” to “make the
country right again,” prosecutors said in a statement after the
sentencing.
Ricin has been involved in several plots against the
government.
On Friday, a Mississippi man accused of sending poisoned
letters to President Barack Obama and two other public officials
pleaded guilty in U.S. court and agreed to a 25-year jail
sentence.
Last year, a Texas actress pleaded guilty to making the
ricin that was sent in letters to Obama and New York Mayor
Michael Bloomberg.
(Reporting by David Beasley; Editing by Kevin Gray and Lisa
Shumaker)
