Man to Be Deported for Mailing Anthrax Threat
An illegal immigrant arrested in October for mailing an anthrax threat to Long Beach City Hall as a joke will be turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service for deportation to Mexico, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
In sentencing Justo Saldana, a 33-year-old hospital aide, to time already spent behind bars, U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian said the hoax “scared a lot of people” and required Long Beach to spend more than $22,000 in its emergency response.
Saldana, who lived in Long Beach, admitted mailing the city an envelope containing talcum powder and a note in Spanish that stated, “To whom it may concern. Joke.”
The envelope bore a return address belonging to a man with whom Saldana had quarreled. Saldana told detectives when he was arrested Oct. 26 that he wanted to get the other man in trouble. Last month, Saldana pleaded guilty to a federal charge of mailing a threatening communication.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
