Threatening Letters to D.A. Candidates Probed

The FBI is investigating a series of threatening letters, including some that were mailed to candidates in the race to unseat Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, authorities said Wednesday.

U.S. Postal Inspector Mike McCarthy said cryptic and rambling letters also were mailed to a downtown county courthouse and to several businesses in Beverly Hills. Some were threatening and others weren’t, FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley said.

There were 18 letters total, all originating from Northeastern states, authorities said. Inspectors are trying to determine if they are connected. Tests show that there were no hazardous materials in any of them, he said.

Head Deputy Dist. Atty. Tom Higgins, who has filed papers to run for the top prosecutor job, said he picked up the letter from his post office box in La Verne on Sunday. When yellow powder fell out of the letter, he said, “I dropped it like a hot potato.” The letter, he said, talked about a bullet hitting his head and said it came from a consortium that backs Cooley. It read, “Drop out of the race or you’re a dead man,” he said.

Former City Councilman Nick Pacheco said he received a letter at his home Monday, telling him that if he valued his life, he would not run against Cooley. There was powder in the envelope, he said.

“I don’t have any reason to believe that Cooley had anything to do with this,” said Pacheco, who has not filed papers but said he is considering running. “I know very well what it’s like to have overzealous supporters who do things that are wholly inappropriate.”

Roger Carrick, an environmental attorney who is a candidate, said he received a threatening letter Tuesday, but declined to discuss the content.

Another candidate, Deputy Dist. Atty. Denise Moehlman, said she received a letter with powder inside.

John Shallman, who is heading Cooley’s campaign, said: “Whether the letters are a hoax, political tricksterism or real threats, we hope and expect that the federal authorities will apprehend the perpetrators and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

A terrorism task force of local and federal agencies is investigating the case. “Responding to this is our top priority, especially after the anthrax letters,” McCarthy said.