Man sentenced to 25 years for sending ricin letters to Obama, others

JACKSON, Miss. – A Mississippi man who pleaded guilty to sending letters dusted with the poison ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

READ MORE: Experts: Ricin used in toxic letters relatively easy to make

James Everett Dutschke was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock after telling the judge he had changed his mind about wanting to withdraw his guilty plea in the case.

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READ MORE: Ricin letters: man says wife’s arrest for trying to frame him is like a ‘bad dream’

The 42-year-old Tupelo man told Aycock on May 13 that he wanted to withdraw the plea agreement he made with federal prosecutors in January.

He was accused of sending the letters to Obama, Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and Mississippi judge Sadie Holland.

Poisoned letters addressed to Obama and Wicker were intercepted before delivery, but one letter reached Holland. She was not harmed.