Guilty Plea Entered in ‘Fedbuster’ Letters Case : Courts: Thomas Lee Larsen of Van Nuys could face 63 months to 385 years in prison. He remains a suspect in several arson wildfires.

A Van Nuys man who remains a suspect in several of the arson-set wildfires that devastated Southern California pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he wrote letters under the alias “Fedbuster,” threatening to set fires.

Thomas Lee Larsen, 43, had been charged with 77 counts of making threats in letters sent through the U.S. mail and faces a maximum sentence of 385 years in prison and a $192.5-million fine if convicted on all counts.

But through an agreement between U.S. Atty. Gregory Jessner and Larsen’s lawyer, Paul Abrams, he pleaded guilty to six counts of sending the threatening letters to fire stations, most of which are in the San Fernando Valley. In federal court, a person who pleads guilty can only be sentenced for up to six counts.

“We were happy with the settlement,” said Jessner. “It was the best the government could do.”

Each of the counts carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine so the maximum sentence Larsen could serve under terms of the plea bargain is 30 years in prison with a $1.5-million fine.

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It is likely to be much less, however. During a bail request after the guilty plea was entered, Abrams said that under sentencing guidelines, his client faces a maximum of four years in jail.

Jessner then said that the maximum Larsen could serve was 63 months.

“The bottom line is that Mr. Larsen is not looking at 10, 20 years in prison, but a much shorter period,” said Abrams.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 4.

Larsen admitted to sending all the “Fedbuster” letters.

“All the letters were the same, exact Xerox copies,” said Larsen, addressing Judge Harry L. Hupp, “And I sent them all on the same day.”

But although he is the subject of a continuing arson investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Larsen has denied setting any of the recent fires. He has not been charged in connection with the fires.

The 77 counts include 33 counts related to letters penned under the “Fedbuster” alias, 33 counts connected to letters written under the name “Nitecrawler” and seven counts resulting from letters threatening to kill a prominent Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer and his family.

The Fedbuster letter was sent to 37 Southern California residents and fire stations in last August. In the letter, Larsen said he was upset about property that had been seized from him, and he demanded an apology from the prosecutors, judges and agents who were responsible.

“If I get no satisfaction by the time we get a good volatile fire season, you’ll really regret it you’ll see,” he wrote.

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“They burned me now I’m going to burn back. I fight fire with fire. You like my puns chump? Sizzle sizzle,” the letters said.

In the Nitecrawler letter, which was sent to Manhattan Beach residents and preschools, he threatened to poison baby food and meat. It was unclear what motivated Larsen to send the Nitecrawler letters.

In an affidavit filed in connection with the Larsen case, FBI Special Agent Richard G. Palacios stated that he believed the Fedbuster and Nitecrawler letters were written by the same person.

Larsen, 43, is also charged with sending letters threatening to kill J. Patrick Maginnis, a defense attorney who represented Larsen in two cases, and members of Maginnis’ family.

Maginnis most recently represented Larsen in a case where Larsen was charged with spraying acid on cars and a young girl.

Larsen, a convicted child molester, has a long criminal history--including other incidents of sending threatening letters.

He once wrote a letter threatening the daughter of a judge who had presided over one of his cases. On another occasion, he threatened the mother of one of his molestation victims in a letter.

Larsen has also been arrested twice on arson charges--once as a 9-year-old for trying to burn down a church, and once for attempting to burn down the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

He was arrested on Nov. 8 after Jessner identified him through several clues, including a series of initials.