Affidavit
Affidavit
Affidavit
Overview
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (hereinafter
"Task Force") investigation of the anthrax attacks has led to the identification of Dr. Bruce
Edward Ivins, an anthrax researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious
Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD (hereinafter "USAMRIID"), as a person necessitating further
investigation for several reasons: (1) At the time of the attacks, he was the custodian of a large
flask of highly purified anthrax spores that possess certain genetic mutations identical to the
anthrax used in the attacks; (2) Ivins has been unable to give investigators an adequate
explanation for his late night laboratory work hours around the time of both anthrax mailings; (3)
Ivins has claimed that he was suffering serious mental health issues in the months preceding the
attacks, and told a coworker that he had "incredible paranoid, delusional thoughts at times" and
feared that he might not be able to control his behavior; (4) Ivins is believed to have submitted
false samples of anthrax from his lab to the FBI for forensic analysis in order to mislead
investigators; (5) at the time of the attacks, Ivins was under pressure at work to assist a private
company that had lost its FDA approval to produce an anthrax vaccine the Army needed for U.S.
troops, and which Ivins believed was essential for the anthrax program at USAMRIID; and (6)
Ivins sent an email to a few days before the anthrax attacks
warning that "Bin Laden terrorists for sure have anthrax and sarin gas" and have "just
decreed death to all Jews and all Americans, language similar to the anthrax letters warning
"WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX DEATH TO AMERICA ... DEATH TO ISRAEL." In his
affidavit dated October 31, 2007, submitted in support of an initial search of the residence and
vehicles of Bruce Edwards Ivins, Supervisory Postal Inspector Thomas F Delafera described in
greater detail information regarding Bruce Edwards Ivins, and his probable connection to the
anthrax mailings. I hereby incorporate this affidavit by reference herein. See Exhibit A.
Factual Background
Over the course of the past few years, Dr. Ivins has become aware that the Task Force
considers him a person who warrants further investigation in connection with the anthrax
attacks. He has been interviewed a number of times by law enforcement throughout the course
of the nearly seven-year investigation, most recently in the presence of his attorney on June
2008. In addition, on November 1, 2007, Task Force agents executed search warrants at his
residence, his office at USAMRIID, and his vehicles, for evidence linking him to the anthrax
attacks, and seized a number of items, including numerous letters to members of Congress and
the media, along with handguns. Finally, in recent months in particular, he has told co-workers
and friends that he is a suspect in the investigation, even revealing to one friend a few weeks ago
that his attorney has told him to prepare to be indicted for the anthrax attacks.
His most recent statement regarding the attacks came two days ago on Wednesday, July
9, 2008. While at a group therapy session in Frederick, Maryland, he revealed to the Licensed
Clinical Social Worker and other members of the group that he was a suspect in this
investigation. He stated that he was a suspect in the anthrax investigation and that he was angry
at the investigators, the government, and the system in general. He said he was not going to face
the death penalty, but instead had a plan to kill co-workers and other individuals who had
wronged him. He said he had a bullet-proof vest, and a list of co-workers, and added that he was
going to obtain a Glock firearm from his son within the next day, because federal agents are
watching him and he could not obtain a weapon on his own. Based on these statements, the
Social Worker called the Frederick, Maryland, police department, and they took custody of
Bruce Edwards Ivins on Thursday, July 10,2008, for a forensic evaluation at Frederick
Memorial Hospital, where he remains as of this writing.
Further, with respect to backyard at the residence;, at approximately 10:30 p.m., in early
June 2008, Bruce Edwards Ivins was observed walking in the rain out into an area of his
backyard near his back fence. He was then observed making a raking or digging motion in that
area. Subsequent visual scrutiny of that area revealed that it was an untended area of grass and
other vegetation.
Finally, with respect to the three vehicles, over the course of the past several months,
visual surveillance has been conducted regularly at the residence of Bruce Edwards Ivins at
Frederick, Maryland. Such surveillance has revealed that all three vehicles are
regularly parked in front of the Ivins residence or in the driveway on the property.
The Task Force submits that a search Subject Residence and Subject Vehicles may reveal
physical or documentary evidence that will assist the investigation into these threats to witnesses
related to the anthrax investigation, and obstruction of that investigation. The search is for
firearms and other weapons ballistics vests or other protective gear, and any writings identifying
a plan to kill witnesses or names of intended victims, or any other relevant documents, notes,
photographs, and records in various formats, including computer files and other electronic
media, as more fully described in the Attachment to this affidavit.
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, I submit that there is probable cause to believe that a search of
the Subject Residence and Subject Vehicles may result in collection of evidence relevant to the
investigation of threats to witnesses in, and obstruction of, the investigation into the
dissemination of a weapon of mass destruction (anthrax) through the U.S. mail system in
September and October 2001 in violation of 18 U.S.C., Sections 1512(a)(2), 2332a and 1114.
Specifically, there is probable cause to believe that a search of the Subject Residence and
Subject Vehicles as described in the Attachment to this affidavit, may reveal firearms and other
weapons, ballistics vests, and writings identifying a plan to kill witnesses, names of intended
victims, photographs, and other relevant documents.
Because this affidavit is part of an ongoing investigation that would be jeopardized by
premature disclosure of information, I further request that this Affidavit, the accompanying
Order, and other related documents be filed under seal until further order of the Court.
The statements contained in this Affidavit are based in part on information provided by
FBI Special Agents and U.S. Postal Inspectors, on observations made by law enforcement
agents, and on my experience and background as a Postal Inspector. I have not included each
and every fact known to me concerning this investigation. I have set forth only the facts that I
believe are necessary to establish the necessary foundation for the search warrant.
signature of
Charles B. WICKERSHAM
Charles B. WICKERSH
Postal Inspector
U.S. Postal Inspection Service
4
ATTACHMENT TO AFFIDAVIT
The search of the Subject Property and Premises will include a physical search for the
items mentioned in the text of the search warrant, including more specifically the following:
1. Documents, memoranda, notes or other writings and equipment which include but are
not limited to schematics, diagrams, blueprints, surveillance equipment or its manuals and other
related paperwork, receipt for purchase of items, how-to magazines, books and pamphlets which
describe a plot to harm or kill other individuals, communication which would include but not be
limited to handwritten notes and drawings, memos and photographs, which would include
descriptive information such as telephone numbers, addresses, directions, and affiliations and
contact points of individuals Bruce Edwards Ivins believes may be involved in the investigation
into the anthrax attacks of 2001. Note that such documentary material described herein may be
in printed or electronic form such as, but not limited to, computer disks. Such computerized and
other electronic material would constitute contraband, fruits, instrumentalities or evidence of the
offenses enumerated herein and in the attached affidavit for search warrant.
2. Firearms and ammunition, extra magazines, sights, ballistics vests, targets, and
any other weapon of any kind, and any and all paperwork referencing purchase, maintenance,
transfer and ownership of any weapon.
[1]
well as software used to communicate with computer hardware peripherals, either directly or
indirectly by telephone lines, radio, or other means of transmission. Computer software may
also include certain data, data fragments, or control characters integral to the operation of the
computer software.
d. Computer passwords and data security devices are defines as all those devices,
programs, or data - whether themselves or in the nature of hardware or software - that can be
used, or is designed for use to restrict access to, or facilitate concealment of, any computer
hardware, software, computer-related documentation, electronic data, records, or materials
within the scope of this application. These items include, but are not limited to, any data
security software or information (such as test keys and encryption codes), similar information
that is required to access computer programs or data or to otherwise render programs or data into
usable form.
e. Records, documents, and materials, as used above, includes all the forgoing items of
evidence in whatever form and by whatever means such records, documents, or material, their
drafts, or their modifications may have been created or stored, including, but not limited to, any
handmade form (such writing or drawing), any photographs or negatives, any mechanical form
(such as printing or typing) or any electrical, electronic, magnetic, or optical form (such as
floppy diskettes, hard disks, CD-Roms, optical disks, printer buffers, smart cards, thumb drives,
memory calculators, electronic dialers, or electronic notebooks), as well as printouts or readouts
from any storage devices.
f. The term electronic mail is defined as any communications, including, but not limited
to, the transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence, previously
received, transmitted, or stored, or prepared in contemplation of transmission, or any
communications in the process of being received or transmitted, whether stored on any
electronic media named above or held in temporary, intermediate storage incidental to
transmission.
[2]
AO 93 (Rev.5/85)Scarch Warrant
SEARCH WARRANT
CASE NUMBER: 07-525-M-01
2002 Saturn SL1, blue, 4 door sedan,
bearing VIN
registered to Bruce Edwards Ivins,
at Frederick, MD
TO: Postal Inspector T h o m a s F. Dellafera and any Authorized Officer of the United States
Affidavit(s) having been made before me by Postal Inspector Thomas F. Dellafera who has reason to believe
that • on the person or a on the premises known as (name, description and or location)
2002 Saturn SL1, blue, 4 door sedan, bearing VIN # registered to Bruce Edwards Ivins
at Frederick, MD
in the District of Maryland there is now concealed a certain person or property, namely (describe the person or property)
trace quantities of Bacillus anthracis or simulants thereof, hairs, textile fibers, lab equipment or materials
used in preparation of select agents, papers, tape, pens, notes, books, manuals, receipts, financial records of
any type, correspondence, address books, maps, handwriting samples, photocopy samples, photographs,
computer files, cellular phones, phone bills, electronic pager devices, other digital devices, or other
documentary evidence.
I am satisfied that the affidavits(s) and any recorded testimony establish probable cause to believe that the person or
property so described is now concealed on the person or premises above-described and establish grounds for the
issuance of this warrant.
I have been a Postal Inspector of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) for
approximately twenty-one years. I am authorized to investigate crimes involving violations of
Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2332(a) and 1114.
This affidavit is respectfully submitted, pursuant to the terrorism search warrant provision
found at Rule 41(b)(3) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, in support of an application
for a warrant to search the following premises and vehicles:
(5) Safe Deposit Box #48, located at Farmers & Mechanics Bank, Branch #1,1305 West
7th Street, Frederick, Maryland 21702. The box was originally leased on 06/12/1990,
and is subscribed to Bruce E. Ivins and Frederick,
Maryland 21702. Available records indicate Bruce E. Ivins and accessed
1
the box during the period 12/07/2004 - 07/20/2007. Access records previous to
12/07/2004 no longer exist.
Overview
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (hereinafter
"Task Force") investigation of the anthrax attacks has led to the identification of Dr. Bruce
Edward Ivins, an anthrax researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious
Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, as a person necessitating further investigation for several reasons:
(1) At the time of the attacks, he was the custodian of a large flask of highly purified anthrax
spores that possess certain genetic mutations identical to the anthrax used in the attacks; (2) Ivins
has been unable to give investigators an adequate explanation for his late night laboratory work
hours around the time of both anthrax mailings; (3) Ivins has claimed that he was suffering
serious mental health issues in the months preceding the attacks, and told a coworker that he had
"incredible paranoid, delusional thoughts at times" and feared that he might not be able to
control his behavior; (4) Ivins is believed to have submitted false samples of anthrax from his lab
to the FBI for forensic analysis in order to mislead investigators; (5) at the time of the attacks,
Ivins was under pressure at work to assist a private company that had lost its FDA approval to
produce an anthrax vaccine the Army needed for U.S. troops, and which Ivins believed was
essential for the anthrax program at USAMRIID; and (6) Ivins sent an email to
a few days before the anthrax attacks warning that "Bin Laden terrorists
for sure have anthrax and sarin gas" and have "just decreed death to all Jews and all Americans,"
language similar to the anthrax letters warning "WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX ... DEATH TO
AMERICA ... DEATH TO ISRAEL."
The Task Force submits that a search and forensic swabbing of the Subject Residence and
Subject Vehicles may reveal forensic or documentary evidence that will assist the investigation
by linking Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins to the anthrax mailings and identify conspirators involved in
the attacks. The search is for laboratory equipment, tape, ink, paper, textile fibers, Caucasian
hair, trace bacillus spores, handwriting samples, photocopy samples, and all relevant documents,
notes and records in various formats, as more fully described in the Attachment to this affidavit.
Factual Background
In September and October, 2001, at least five envelopes containing significant quantities
of Bacillus anthracis, were mailed to persons in the District of Columbia, New York City, and
Boca Raton, Florida, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2332(a), which
prohibits the use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Bacillus anthracis is a Weapon of Mass
destruction because it is a bacteria and "biological agent" capable of causing death, disease, and
other biological malfunction in humans and certain other animals as defined in Title 18, United
States Code, Section 178. Bacillus anthracis is classified as a Select Agent, which requires
special handling and containment protocols as governed by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. The disease caused by Bacillus anthracis is known as anthrax,
subsequently these terms will be used interchangeably. The letters were addressed to members
of the national media and to the Capitol Hill offices of two United States Senators located in the
District of Columbia. Each of the envelopes contained a handwritten note referencing "9-11-01"
and warning "WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX. YOU DIE NOW. ARE YOU AFRAID? DEATH
TO AMERICA. DEATH TO ISRAEL. ALLAH IS GREAT." The two letters addressed to
Capitol Hill had fictitious return addresses. The return address read, "4th GRADE,"
"GREENDALE SCHOOL," "FRANKLIN PARK NJ 08852."
The CDC examined isolates of the Bacillus anthracis extracted from the powder
contained in the letters and compared it to body fluid samples collected from the five decedents.
The CDC has determined that the strain of Bacillus anthracis found in each of the decedents'
bodies is the same strain of anthrax found in the threat letters mentioned above. This particular
strain is commonly known as the Ames strain of Bacillus anthracis.
Law enforcement officials have spoken to biological experts who have knowledge and
training in the field of infectious diseases including anthrax. According to these individuals
quantities of Bacillus anthracis can be produced in a scientific laboratory, such as those found at
universities, military research facilities, or other research institutions. Culturing anthrax and
working safely with dried anthrax spores requires specific training and expertise in technical
fields such as biochemistry or microbiology. It also requires particular laboratory equipment
such as a lyophilizer or other drying device, biological safety cabinet or other containment
device, incubator, centrifuge, fermentor, and various personal protective gear, described more
fully in the Attachment to this affidavit.
The mail attacks are believed to have occurred on two separate occasions, which are
delineated by the postmark dates of the recovered letters. Letters used in the first attack were
postmarked on 09/18/2001 and were focused to media establishments located in the New York
area. Three weeks later, letters postmarked 10/09/2001 were sent to two U.S. Senators in
Washington, DC.
In order to fully characterize the threat letters and their contents, the Task Force has
conducted numerous physical (phenotypic) and genetic (genotypic) analyses. Physical
comparison of the spore powders taken from the Post and Brokaw letters versus the Senator
Leahy and Senator Daschle letters reveals obvious differences. The spore powders recovered
from the Post and Brokaw letters were granular and multicolored in consistency, while the
Senator Leahy and Senator Daschle letters contained fine spore powders that were uniform in
color.
Microscopic examination of the evidentiary spore powders recovered from all four letters
identified an elemental signature of Silicon within the spores. This Silicon signature had not
been previously described for Bacillus anthracis organisms.
Upon visual inspection of the Bacillus anthracis organisms used in the mail attacks,
researchers have discovered numerous phenotypic variations, which distinguish it from the
original Ames anthrax isolated in 1981, which is the earliest known sample. The phenotypic
variations were identified as differences in morphology (i.e. shape, color, texture) from the
original Ames anthrax. Changes in morphology can be attributed to individual genetic mutations
within the Bacillus anthracis DNA. As a whole, the collection of all of the genetic mutations
found in the anthrax used in the 2001 mailings, serve to provide a "DNA fingerprint" which can,
and has been used to investigate other Ames isolates collected from laboratories possessing the
Ames strain. Four individual, highly sensitive, and specific molecular assays capable of
detecting four of the genetic mutations discovered in the Bacillus anthracis used in the mail
attacks have been developed and validated.
received Ames strain Bacillus anthracis isolates or samples from all sixteen domestic
laboratories, as well as, from laboratories in Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. All
total, the Task Force has obtained more than 1000 isolates of the Ames strain of Bacillus
anthracis from these laboratories and archived these isolates in the FBI Bacillus anthracis
Repository (hereinafter "FBIR").
The four aforementioned molecular assays have been applied to each of the more than
1000 Bacillus anthracis samples contained within the FBIR. Of the more than 1000 FBIR
samples, only eight were determined to contain all four genetic mutations.
The Task Force investigation has determined that each of the eight isolates in the FBIR is
directly related to a single Bacillus anthracis Ames strain spore batch, identified as RMR-1029.
4
RMR-1029 was stored in the B3 biocontainment suite within Building 1425 of the United States
Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, Maryland. Access to
the suite is afforded only to those personnel who are approved by the USAMRIID Security,
Safety, and Special Immunizations Program to have the required background check, training, and
medical protection (vaccination or personal protective equipment (PPE)). Dr. Bruce Ivins has
unrestricted access to the suite and has been the sole custodian of RMR-1029 since it was first
grown in 1997.
Both of the anthrax spore powders recovered from the Post and Brokaw letters contain
low levels of a bacterial contaminant identified as a strain of Bacillus subtilis. The Bacillus
subtilis contaminant has not been detected in the anthrax spore powders recovered from the
envelopes mailed to either Senator Leahy or Senator Daschle. Bacillus subtilis is a non-
pathogenic bacterium found ubiquitously in the environment. However, genomic DNA
sequencing of the specific isolate of Bacillus subtilis discovered within the Post and Brokaw
powders reveals that it is genetically distinct from other known isolates of Bacillus subtilis.
Analysis of the Bacillus subtilis from the Post and Brokaw envelopes revealed that these two
isolates are identical.
Phenotypic and genotypic analyses demonstrate that the RMR-1029 does not have the
Bacillus subtilis contaminant found in the evidentiary spore powders, which suggests that the
anthrax used in the letter attacks was grown from the material contained in RMR-1029 and not
taken directly from the flask and placed in the envelopes. Since RMR-1029 is the genetic parent
to the evidentiary spore powders, and it is not known how the Bacillus subtilis contaminant came
to be in the Post and Brokaw spore powders, the contaminant must have been introduced during
the production of the Post and Brokaw spores. Taken together, the postmark dates, the Silicon
signature, the Bacillus subtilis contaminant, the phenotypic, and the genotypic comparisons, it
can be concluded that, on at least two separate occasions, a sample of RMR-1029 was used to
grow spores, dried to a powder, packaged in an envelope with a threat letter, and mailed to the
victims.1
In the 2001 anthrax attacks, four envelopes were recovered. The four envelopes were
all 6 3/4 inch federal eagle envelopes. The "federal eagle" designation is derived from the postage
frank in the upper right-hand corner on the envelope which consists of the image of an eagle
perched on a bar bearing the initials "USA." Underneath the lettering is the number "34," which
denotes the postage value of 34cents.The eagle, lettering, and denomination are referred to as the
1
As the Court may recall from its review, during the course of this six year investigation, the Task Force has from
time to time obtained search warrants. supported by affidavits establishing probable cause, for the residences and
vehicles of other individuals who have come under investigative scrutiny in the case, e.g.
5
indicia. The eagle and the bar are stamped in blue ink, while the denomination is stamped in
grey ink. Approximately 45 million Federal eagle 6 3/4" envelopes were manufactured by
Westvaco Corporation (now known as MeadWestvaco Corporation) of Williamsburg,
Pennsylvania, between December 6,2000 and March 2002. These Federal eagle 6 3/4" envelopes
were manufactured exclusively for and sold solely by the U.S. Postal Service between January 8,
2001 and June 2002.
Subsequent to the attacks, an effort Was made to collect all such envelopes for possible
forensic examination, including the identification of defects that occur during the envelope
manufacturing process. As a result of this collection, envelopes with printing defects identical to
printing defects identified on the envelopes utilized in the anthrax attacks during the fall of 2001
were collected from the Fairfax Main post office in Fairfax, Virginia and the Cumberland and
Elkton post offices in Maryland. The Fairfax Main, Cumberland, Maryland, and Elkton,
Maryland post offices are supplied by the Dulles Stamp Distribution Office (SDO), located in
Dulles, Virginia. The Dulles SDO distributed "federal eagle" envelopes to post offices
throughout Maryland and Virginia. Given that the printing defects identified on the envelopes
used in the attacks are transient, thereby being present on only a small population of the federal
eagle envelopes produced, and that envelopes with identical printing defects to those identified
on the envelopes used in the attacks were recovered from post offices serviced by the Dulles
SDO, it is reasonable to conclude that the federal eagle envelopes utilized in the attacks were
purchased from a post office in Maryland or Virginia.
Of the sixteen domestic government, commercial, and university laboratories that had
virulent RMR-1029 Ames strain Bacillus anthracis material in their inventory prior to the
attacks, only one lab was located in Maryland or Virginia, where the relevant federal eagle
envelopes were distributed and sold by the U.S. Postal Service: the USAMRIID facility at Fort
Detrick, MD.
All four of the envelopes containing these letters were taped along the seams with
transparent tape. Due to striation patterns placed on transparent tape as part of the manufacturing
process, it is sometimes possible to match a piece of suspect tape with the tape roll from which it
originated. According to FBI Laboratory experts, the envelopes were addressed with a pen
which dispenses fluid-like ink, rather than the ink typically found in a ball point pen. Due to the
distinguishing characteristics of ink, which vary by manufacturer, it is sometimes possible to
match ink writing with the pen or brand of pen used to apply it. Forensic analysis of the tape
attached to the four envelopes has identified eight different types of fiber attached to the tape:
black cotton, black wool, black nylon, brown polyester, blue wool, yellow acrylic, red cotton,
and red acrylic.
Information gathered to date suggests that all of the lethal anthrax letters were mailed
from a single street collection box located at 10 Nassau Street, in Princeton, New Jersey. The
letters were postmarked on either September 18, 2001 or October 9,2001 at the same Hamilton
Township Regional Postal Facility in Hamilton, New Jersey. The collection box on Nassau
Street was identified through forensic biological swabbing of every U.S. Postal Service drop box
that collects mail to be processed at the Hamilton facility. Further forensic examination of the
contaminated mailbox recovered a number of Caucasian human hairs from inside the box, which
are suitable for comparison.
Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins is a senior microbiologist who has worked for 27 years in the
Bacteriology Division at USAMRIID. The Task Force investigation has revealed that Dr. Ivins
is considered an expert in the growth, sporulation, and purification of Bacillus anthracis. Dr.
Ivins obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Bacteriology in 1968, a Master of Science degree
in Microbiology in 1971, and a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Microbiology in 1976,
all from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Ivins then completed a two year Post-doctoral
Fellowship at the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill.
Dr. Ivins's 20 years of working in the laboratories of USAMRIID provided him personal,
hands-on laboratory experience in the production of liquid spore preparations of Bacillus
anthracis. He has used lyophilizers, biological safety cabinets, incubators, and centrifuges in
vaccine research. Such devices are considered essential for the production of the highly purified,
powdered anthrax used in the Fall 2001 mailings. Dr. Ivins was also very experienced in
conducting laboratory work in a containment area, and well versed in decontamination
procedures specifically for Bacillus anthracis. Dr. Ivins's employment at USAMRIID also
provided protection against anthrax infection at the time of the mailings due to his extensive and
current anthrax vaccination history.
A review of Dr. Ivins's laboratory access records for Building 1425 was assessed to
determine trends in working hours and evening times (after 6 p.m.) spent in Suite B3. His
regular working hours on average consisted of a 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. shift, but he would
periodically return in the evenings, presumably to check on the status of various experiments.
Beginning in mid-August 2001; however, there was a noticeable spike in Dr. Ivins's evening
access to the B3 hot Suite.
The following depicts the comparison of Dr. Ivins's total hours spent at night, after 6
p.m., in Suite B3 during the years 2000 and 2001:
The investigation examined Dr. Ivins's laboratory activity immediately before and after
the window of opportunity for the mailing of the Post and Brokaw letters to New York which
began at 5:00 p.m. Monday, September 17,2001 and ended at noon on Tuesday, September 18,
2001. Beginning on Friday, September 14, Dr. Ivins worked the following three consecutive
evening shifts prior to the mailings with time spent in Suite B3:
After September 16, Dr. Ivins did not enter Suite B3 in the evening again until September 25.
The investigation further examined Dr. Ivins's laboratory activity before and after the
window of opportunity for the mailing of the Daschle and Leahy letters to Washington, D.C.
which began 3:00 p.m. Saturday, October 6,2001, and ended at noon on Tuesday, October 9,
2001. Beginning on September 28, Dr. Ivins worked eight consecutive nights which consisted of
the following times in building 1425 with time spent in Suite B3:
After October 5, Dr. Ivins did not enter Suite B3 in the evening again until October 9, for 15
minutes, and then October 14, for 1 hour and 26 minutes.
The investigation has also analyzed the daily schedules, work areas accessed, and the
number of hours worked per week of all other researchers assigned to the Bacteriology Division
who had access to Suite B3 during the months of September and October 2001. When these
records are compared to Dr. Ivins for the same period, Dr. Ivins's habits are significantly
different than those of the other researchers, in that he was frequently in Suite B3, where RMR-
1029 was kept, late at night and on weekends when no other researchers were present in Suite
B3. Additionally, while Dr. Ivins was in Suite B3 at night, no other USAMRIID employee was
present.
On March 31, 2005, Dr. Ivins was asked by Task Force investigators about his access to
B3 and could provide no legitimate reason for the extended hours, other than "home was not
good" and he went there "to escape" from his life at home. A review of Dr. Ivins's and co-
workers's laboratory notebooks and projects at the times in question was conducted. The
investigation determined that Dr. Ivins's role in the experiments were minimal, and did not
justify the time he spent in B3. Dr. Ivins has admitted to investigators that the research he was
conducting in 2001 did not require, and does not explain, his late night hours in the B-3
laboratory around the time period of the anthrax mailings.
Since producing anthrax spore preparations was one of Dr. Ivins's principal
responsibilities at USAMRIID, he had multiple and unfettered opportunities to produce or divert
Ames strain spores for illegitimate purposes. His access to Suite B3 and USAMRIID afforded
all of the equipment and containment facilities which would have been needed to prepare the
anthrax and letters used in the Fall 2001 attacks.
9
Failure to cooperate in providing laboratory samples
On December 12, 2003, an FBI Special Agent accompanied Dr. Ivins into Suite B3 at
USAMRIID and identified additional Ames samples of Dr. Ivins's and others that had not been
submitted as part of the above mentioned response. Dr. Ivins submitted slants
prepared from the newly identified samples to the FBIR on April 7, 2004.
On the afternoon of April 7, 2004, an FBI Special Agent accompanied Dr. Ivins into
Suite B3, and seized the original samples Dr. Ivins had used to prepare the slants submitted to
the FBIR earlier that day. Additionally, the Agent seized the RMR-1029 flask itself. All of the
samples were secured in the B3 walk-in cold room within a double-locked safe, and sealed with
evidence tape until such time that they could be transported to the Navy Medical Research
Center (NMRC), which was under contract by the FBI.
On June 17, 2004, RMR-1029 and the additional Ames samples were submitted to the
FBIR, by the NMRC, under the direction of the FBI. Samples of these FBIR submission were
sent to the same contracting laboratories for genetic testing. The sample labeled RMR-1029
tested positive for all four genetic markers, therefore, manifesting the genetic characteristics
common to the evidence.
On March 31, 2005, Dr. Ivins was informed that the slants of RMR-1029 material, he
provided to the FBIR on April 10 2002 were found
to be genetically distinct from the anthrax contained in the attack letters, and from the anthrax
material recovered by the FBI from the RMR-1029 flask seized from Dr. Ivins' lab on April 7,
2004. Dr. Ivins was confronted with this and was asked to explain why he did not submit the
genetically positive sample which was clearly responsive Dr. Ivins was
adamant in his response that there had been no omission from his submission, and he
insisted that he had provided RMR-1029 to the FBI in his second submission of samples in April
2002.
10
Knowledge that his stock of anthrax matched the anthrax used in the attack
On March 31, 2005, when Dr. Ivins was informed by FBI agents that RMR-1029 shared
genetic similarities with the Ames strain used in the mailings, he indicated that he was already
aware of this information. Dr. Ivins explained that many months to a year ago, FBI Special
Agent Darin Steele told him that RMR-1029 matched the evidence.
SA Steele denied having the conversation described by Dr. Ivins above. As indicated in
previous paragraphs, the RMR-1029 submission provided by Dr. Ivins in April 2002 did not
match genetically or phenotypically. Therefore, neither SA Steele nor any other member of the
Task Force could make a comparison between the Ames strain used in the mailing and RMR
1029, until after the June 17, 2004 submission and subsequent laboratory analysis.
When interviewed again on May 7, 2007, Dr. Ivins told investigators that, within three
months after the letter attacks, he was aware that his stock of anthrax, RMR-1029, exhibited
unique morphological similarities to the anthrax used in the attacks, and that he allegedly learned
this information from three coworkers at USAMRIID who participated in the forensic analysis of
the anthrax in the letters. Each of those three coworkers was interviewed by the Task Force, and
deny disclosing such information to Dr. Ivins.
Over the course of this investigation, Dr. Ivins has been repeatedly interviewed and had
open access to the law enforcement personnel responsible for investigating the anthrax attacks.
During none of these interactions, did Dr. Ivins ever indicate he had knowledge that RMR-1029
had phenotypic similarities to the material used in the anthrax attacks, nor did he suggest that
investigators analyze RMR-1029. To the contrary, Dr. Ivins repeatedly claimed that the anthrax
used in the attacks resembled that of another researcher at USAMRIID and were dissimilar to the
Bacillus anthracis Ames organisms maintained in his laboratory, which included RMR-1029.
The investigation has shown that in 2000 and through the mailings in 2001, Dr.
Ivins had mental health issues. Dr. Ivins's mental health issues came to the attention of
investigators while reviewing e-mails of USAMRIID researchers. Through the e-mails it
was determined that Dr. Ivins was undergoing significant stress in both his home and
work life. The mental health issues and stress were significant to the extent that Dr. Ivins
sought professional help from a psychiatrist and was immediately prescribed medication
that started in February 2000.
The following are excerpts from e-mails dated April 2000 through December 2001, from
Dr. Ivins to a friend regarding work, home, state of mental health, and use of medication
(emphasis are as they appeared in the e-mails):
April 3,2000, "Occasionally I get this tingling that goes down both arms.
At the same time I get a bit dizzy and get this unidentifiable "metallic" taste in my
mouth. (I'm not trying to be funny, It actually scares me a bit.) Other
times it's like I'm not only sitting at my desk doing work, I'm also a few feet away
11
watching me do it. There's nothing like living in both the first person singular
AND the third person singular!"
June 27, 2000, "Even with the Celexa and the counseling, the depression
episodes still come and go. That's unpleasant enough. What is REALLY scary is
the paranoia... .Remember when I told you about the "metallic" taste in my
mouth that I got periodically? It's when I get these "paranoid" episodes. Of
course I regret them thoroughly when they are over, but when I'm going through
them, it's as if I'm on a passenger on a ride.... Ominously, a lot of the feelings
of isolation - and desolation - that I went through before college are returning. I
don't want to relive those years again... . I've been seeing the counselor once a
week."
June 28, 2000, "Apparently Gore (and maybe even Bush) is considering
making the anthrax vaccine for the military voluntary, or even stopping the
program. Unfortunately, since the BioPort people aren't scientists, the task of
solving their problem has fallen on us Believe me, with all the stress of
home and work, your email letters to me are valuable beyond what you would
ever imagine - and they help me keep my sanity...."
June 29, 2000, "BioPort just tested its final lot of AVA [anthrax vaccine]
in a potency test. If it doesn't pass, then there are no more lots to test, and the
program will come to a halt. That's bad for everyone concerned, including us.
I'm sure that blame will be spread around."
July 4, 2000, "The thinking now by the psychiatrist and counselor is that
my symptoms may not be those of a depression or bipolar disorder, they may be
that of a "Paranoid Personality Disorder."
July 6, 2000, I think the **** is about to hit the fan.. .bigtime. The
final lot of AVA, lot 22, isn't passing the potency test, and now there's nothing to
back it up. Plus, the control vaccine isn't working. It's just a fine mess.
are spending probably 95% of our time on this."
July 23, 2000, "It's been a really stressful week, from all stand points.
Home, work, and it's not going well with the counselor I'm going to. (She said she
thinks I'm going to have to ask to get put
with another counselor or into a group session.... Sometimes I think that it's all
just too much."
12
August 12,2000, "Last Saturday, as you probably guessed from my email,
was one of my worst days in months. I wish I could control the thoughts in my
mind. It's hard enough sometimes controlling my behavior. When I'm being
eaten alive inside, I always try to put on a good front here at work and at home, so
I don't spread the pestilence... .1 get incredible paranoid, delusional thoughts at
times, and there's nothing I can do until they go away, either by themselves or
with drugs."
March 4, 2001, "The people in my group just don't pick up on what I try to
say. They are not into the kinds of problems I bring up, so it's hard for them to
deal with them. The psychiatrist is helpful only because he prescribes the Celexa.
He's not that easy to talk to, and he doesn't really pick up on my problems. The
woman I saw before I went into group wanted to get me put in jail. That wasn't
very helpful either. I'm down to a point where there are some things that are
eating away that I feel I can't tell ANYONE "
September 7, 2001, "I was taken off the Special Immunization Program
because of what happened last spring, and I've just gotten back on it, getting my
anthrax and Yellow fever shots. We are currently finishing up the last of the
AVA, and when that is gone, there's nothing to replace it with. I don't know
what will happen to the research programs and hot suite work until we get a new
lot. There are no approved lots currently available at BioPort. . . . h a s been
having us have biweekly meetings on the rPA vaccine progress, and on August 29
I went to the Pentagon - first time there - to go to a meeting in his place on the
vaccine. There is a real bag of worms with a new lot of rPA produced by the
BDP (a private company) for NCI, who is under contract to USAMRIID. BDP
signed a sub-contract with to produce the rPA for a human use vaccine Phase I
trial. They were paid and they produced it. Now they are refusing to release it
unless the Army pays some incredible sum of money for lawsuit indemnification
(about $200,000 per year for the next 50 years). The Army refuses to do that of
course, and everything is in Limbo."
September 15, 2001, "I am incredibly sad and angry at what happened,
now that it has sunk in. Sad for all of the victims, their families, their friends.
And angry. Very angry. Angry at those who did this, who support them, who
coddle them, and who excuse them."
In that same September 26,2001 email, Dr. Ivins states "Osama Bin
Laden has just decreed death to all Jews and all Americans" — language similar to
the text of the anthrax letters postmarked two weeks later warning "DEATH TO
AMERICA," "DEATH TO ISRAEL."
December 15,2001, "I made up some poems about having two people in
one (me + the person in my dreams):...
The investigation has revealed that Dr. Ivins was prescribed various psychotropic
medications including antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety, for his mental health
issues from 2000 through 2006.
On July 18, 2007, a forensic psychiatrist completed a detailed review of Dr. Ivins
insurance billing records for medical appointments and prescriptions. Additionally, this
psychiatrist was provided with an overview of Dr. Ivins's social habits, interests, and obsessions.
The forensic psychiatrist stated that based on his experience, if Dr. Ivins was the mailer, it is
quite possible that Dr. Ivins retained some kind of souvenir or references to the mailing events.
14
Controversy concerning the anthrax vaccine
Beginning shortly after the first Gulf War and through 2001, USAMRIID and Dr. Ivins
was the focus of public criticism concerning their introduction of a squalene adjuvant (or
additive) to the AVA anthrax vaccine, which was blamed for the Gulf War Syndrome. In 2000
and 2001, as evident by the e-mails above, that same anthrax vaccine was having problems in the
production phase at Bioport, a private company in Michigan responsible for manufacturing the
vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had suspended further production at
Bioport, and the U.S. government, specifically the Department of Defense, was running out of
approved lots of the vaccine. The situation placed pressure on select staff members at
USAMRIID, including Dr. Ivins, who were part of the Anthrax Potency Integrated Product Team
(IPT). The purpose of the IPT was to assist in the resolution of technical issues that was
plaguing Bioport's production of approved lots of the vaccines.
In the weeks immediately prior to the attacks, Dr. Ivins became aware that an
investigative journalist who worked for NBC News had submitted a Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) requests on USAMRIID seeking detailed information from Dr. Ivins's laboratory
notebooks as they related to the AVA vaccine and the use of adjuvants. On August 28, 2001, Dr.
Ivins appeared angry about the request providing the following response in an e-mail: "Tell
Matsumoto to kiss my ass. We've got better things to do than shine his shoes and pee on
command. He's gotten everything from me he will get."
In early 2002, shortly after the anthrax letter attacks, the FDA re-approved the AVA
vaccine for human use, production at Bioport resumed, and anthrax research at USAMRIID
continued without interruption. As mentioned previously, one of the anthrax letters post marked
on September 18, 2001, was addressed to Tom Brokaw, NBC News in New York. Dr. Ivins
thereafter received "the highest honor given to Defense Department civilians at a Pentagon
ceremony on March 14, 2003" for his work in "getting the anthrax vaccine back into
production."
Use of false names and fascination with sorority group linked to location of anthrax mailings
The investigation has shown that over the past twenty-four years, Dr. Ivins was known to
have utilized at least two Post Office Boxes to communicate with members of the public, to
pursue obsessions, and possibly engage in the unauthorized use of another person's name. The
use of the P.O. Boxes is significant because the post office where Dr. Ivins frequented and
maintained a P.O. Box, College Estates Station, Frederick, Maryland 21702, was serviced by the
Frederick Main post office, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Analysis of the USPS shipping records
indicate the Frederick Main received 1000 6 3/4" Federal Eagle banded envelopes on the same
day as post offices known to have received envelopes with identical print defects as those seen
on the envelopes used in the mailings.
On May 14, 2007, identified four communications that it had previously received
from Dr. Ivins. does not personally know Dr. Ivins but has repeatedly corresponded with
him by mail]. In Dr. Ivins's first letter to dated May 8, 1982, he used the return address
of P.O. Box 1265, Frederick, Maryland 21702. In the letters, Dr. Ivins expressed his support to
15
work and an interest in sorority hazing. One of the sororities with which he expressed an
interest was identified as Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG). In a letter to dated
Dr. Ivins enclosed a "letter to the editor" of dated justifying the practice of hazing by it's
sorority, (KKG).
On July 9, 2007, the Post Office Box application (PS Form 1093) at the College Estates
Station, Frederick, Maryland 21702, for P.O. Box 1103, in the name of Bruce E. Ivins was
obtained. A review of the application card revealed that Dr. Ivins rented P.O. Box 1103 on
November 12,1993, providing a military identification and using his Maryland Motor Vehicle
Administration Drivers License, I-152-098-188-301 as proof of identification. Dr. Ivins
provided an address of Frederick, MD 21702 and telephone numbers of
Also listed on the P.O. Box application card to receive mail
The last payment on the P.O. Box was made on November 13, 2004. A
review of Change of Address records revealed that P.O. Box 1103 was closed on December 30,
2005 and no forwarding address was provided.
On July 30, 2007, was interviewed regarding P.O. Box 1103. does not
personally know Dr. Ivins but has historically been familiar with his name
was shown the P.O. Box application and stated that it had never rented a P.O. Box anywhere
and had never met, nor had any social or professional association with a Dr. Ivins. However,
recognized the name Bruce Ivins because had previously mentioned his name.
indicated to that Dr. Ivins harassed it in the past, and believed that was
frightened of Dr. Ivins, resulting from unspecified incidents that occurred prior to meeting
also recalled a vandalism incident that occurred in the months prior to leaving the
Maryland area with They had awoken one morning in their Gaithersburg apartment to
find Greek letters spray painted on the fence, sidewalk, and vehicle outside their apartment.
A copy of the
was obtained from the Records Division and provided the following information:
On the morning of
filed a report of vandalism with the Police Department.
advised that between 2330 and 0830 hours, unknown subject(s) sprayed the Greek
symbols for KKG on its front fence, three (3) areas of sidewalk adjacent to its residence, and on
the rear window of its 1981 Honda Accord. advised that was a
member of the sorority KKG in North Carolina four (4) years ago.
16
This incident is significant because Dr. Ivins's address, after completing
his Post Doctoral Fellowship at the UNC, Chapel Hill in 1978 and prior to moving to Frederick
in the 1950s, This is the same town home
community that resided and experienced the case of KKG related vandalism
before moving out of the state in 1983.
On April 5, 2007, recalled that Dr. Ivins had told it that he had maintained a P.O.
Box for the purpose of corresponding with individuals who had responded to advertisements Dr.
Ivins had placed in possibly a newspaper or magazine.
Dr. Ivins told that he advertised that
he possessed a KKG sorority handbook which contained cherished information solely reserved
for KKG members. CW-4 believed that Dr. Ivins was advertising that he had access to
privileged information and would be willing to share the secrets with those responding to the
advertisements. Dr. Ivins admitted to CW-4 that he had broken into a KKG sorority house to
steal a secret KKG handbook. CW-4 believed that Dr. Ivins had committed this alleged crime
during his Post Doctorate Fellowship at the UNC, Chapel Hill.
Dr. Ivins provided CW-4 one of his alternate e-mail addresses as
goldenphoenix111@hotmail.com. A search of the internet for postings under goldenphoenix111
identified the following posting dated February 20, 2007, on a website at
www.abovetopesecret.com:
"Wildswan, you are quite right about what you said about KKG. If people look
hard enough and dig hard enough, have friends, relatives, perhaps financial
resources, etc., then they can pretty much find out about whatever GLO they
want. Kappas are noted for being lovely, highly intelligent campus leaders.
Unfortunately, they labeled me as an enemy decades ago, and I can only abide by
their "Fatwah" on me. I like individual Kappas enormously, and love being
around them. I never choose an enemy, but they've been after me since the 1960s,
and REALLY after me since the late 1970s. At one time in my life, I knew more
about KKG than any non-Kappa that had ever lived. Unfortunately I've forgotten
a lot. I've read the history of KKG that was written several decades ago about its
founding. Question for you: Did your chapter use the combined service, or did
you separate your services into the "RedRoom and WhiteRoom"? did you use
special blue or white blindfolds? You can reach me at
goldenphoenix111@hotmail.com ...as a phoenix rises from its ashes..."
This posting is significant in that in his own words, Dr. Ivins defines the depths of his
obsession and knowledge in the sorority KKG. Additionally, as previously described above, the
letters used in the 2001 anthrax mailings were mailed from a blue collection box located at 10
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey. The sorority, KKG, has an office at 20 Nassau Street,
Princeton, New Jersey, located on the same side of the street and 60 feet to the right from the
blue collection box.
17
. Connection to "4th Grade, Greendale School"
The investigation into the fictitious return address on envelopes used for the second
round of anthrax mailings, "4th GRADE," "GREENDALE SCHOOL," has established a possible
link to the American Family Association (AFA) headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. In
October 1999, AFA, a Christian organization, published an article entitled "AFA takes Wisconsin
to court. " The article describes a lawsuit filed in federal court, by the AFA Center for Law and
Policy (CLP), on behalf of the parents of students at Greendale Baptist Academy. The article
focuses on an incident that occurred on December 16, 1998, in which case workers of the
Wisconsin Department of Human Services went to the Greendale Baptist Academy in order to
interview a fourth-grade student. The case workers, acting on an anonymous tip that Greendale
Baptist Academy administered corporal punishment as part of its discipline policy, did not
disclose to the staff why they wanted to interview the student. The case workers interviewed the
student in the absence of the student's parents and informed the school staff that the parents were
not to be contacted. The AFA CLP filed suit against the Wisconsin Department of Human
Services, citing a violation of the parents' Fourth Amendment rights.
donations were
made to the AFA in the name of "Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Ivins" on eleven separate occasions
beginning on December 31, 1993. After an approximate two year break in donations, the next
donation occurred on November 11,1999, one month after the initial article referencing
Greendale Baptist Academy was published in the AFA Journal. It was also discovered that the
subscription to the AFA Journal, in the name of "Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Ivins," at
Frederick, Maryland 21702, was active until March 2005.
The investigation has shown that Dr. Ivins and his wife are practicing
Catholics. Their children are graduates of Saint John's at Prospect Hall Catholic High School
located in Frederick, Maryland. In an e-mail dated, September 26, 2001, Dr. Ivins states that
both he and are actively involved in the church choir. On July 10, 2002, in an e-mail to a
friend, Dr. Ivins identified his wife, as the President of the Frederick County Right to
Life, as well as having connections to many other pro-life/anti-abortion groups. Dr. Ivins later
states in the same e-mail, "I'm not pro-abortion, I'm pro-life, but I want my position to be one
consistent with a Christian."
In 2001, members of the Catholic pro-life movement were known to be highly critical of
Catholic Congressional members who voted pro-choice in opposition to the beliefs of the
Catholic Church. Two of the more prominent members of Congress who fell in this category
were Senator Tom Daschle, then Senate Majority Leader; and Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman
of the Senate Judiciary Committee, both recipients of the 2001 anthrax mailings. In a
September/October 2001 newsletter from the organization Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati,
Senator Leahy and Senator Daschle were featured in an article entitled: Pro-Abortion "Catholic"
Senators?, wherein a statement declares that these men should no longer be labeled Catholic and
should be excommunicated for aiding and abetting abortion. During Task Force interviews, 12
18
staff members related that Senator Leahy is pro-choice on the issue of abortion. Three staff
members stated that Senator Leahy was on a pro-life "hit list" because of his stance on abortion.
On September 26, 2001, in an e-mail to a friend, Dr. Ivins writes "The news media has
been saying that some members of Congress and members of the ACLU oppose many of the
Justice Department proposals for combating terrorism, saying that they are unconstitutional and
infringe too much on civil liberties. Many people don't know it but the official ACLU position is
to oppose all metal detectors in airports and schools and other public buildings. It's interesting
that we may now be living in a time when our biggest threat to civil liberties and freedom doesn't
come from the government but from enemies of the government. Osama Bin Laden has just
decreed death to all Jews and all Americans, but I guess that doesn't mean a lot to the ACLU.
Maybe I should move to Canada...."
On November 17,2001, Senator Leahy's Chief of Staff, was interviewed by Task Force
investigators. The staffer stated that Senator Leahy has drawn fire from some conservative pro-
life supporters. The staffer advised that Senator Leahy and Senator Daschle were seen by some
members of the public as slowing the passage of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. Senator Leahy
reportedly was critical of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act because he believed it was too far reaching and
threatened civil liberties. The staffer also related that Senator Leahy had been criticized by
conservatives and Republicans for resisting the appointment of Republican appointed judicial
nominees.
Experts at the FBI's Hazardous Materials Response Unit have found that trace quantities
of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus subtilus can be detected using biological swabbing techniques
similar to those used by United Nations weapons inspectors. Anthrax and Subtilus spores are
like seeds, which are surrounded by a dense shell capable of enduring extreme environmental
conditions and temperatures remaining dormant for decades, until such time that nutrients are
again available and the organism returns to its vegetative cycle of replication. Even when the
viability of an anthrax or subtilus spore is destroyed by environmental or other factors, the
genetic material of the organism will remain preserved within the dense shell of the spore, and
can be detected by DNA analysis using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
The investigation to date has yielded a diverse array of items contaminated with anthrax
spores from the letters, such as the previously mention mailbox at 10 Nassau Street in Princeton,
New Jersey. The contaminated items tenaciously retain anthrax spores on their surfaces, even
when subjected to the highs and lows of outdoor temperatures, various environmental conditions,
and elements of the weather. The United States Postal Service had great difficulty cleaning the
two regional postal facilities that processed the anthrax letters. Trace quantities of anthrax spores
were found to persist in those facilities nearly two years after the attacks, despite repeated efforts
to eliminate those spores using chlorine dioxide gas and other remediation techniques.
Taken together, it is reasonable to believe that bacillus anthracis and subtilus spores
residual from the September and October 2001 mailings may still persist in trace amounts inside
the home or vehicle of the person who mailed them, even six years after the crime. Regardless
19
of their viability, the mechanics of the spore structure protects the DNA of the organism, which
can be detected using PCR techniques.
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, I submit that there is probable cause to believe that a search and
forensic swabbing of the Subject Residence and Subject Vehicles may result in collection of
evidence relevant to the dissemination of a weapon of mass destruction (anthrax) through the
U.S. mail system in September and October 2001 in violation of 18 U.S.C., Sections 2332a and
1114. Specifically, there is probable cause to believe that a search and forensic swabbing of the
Subject Residence and Subject Vehicles as described in the Attachment to this affidavit, may
reveal laboratory, makeshift, and dual purpose equipment, or materials, supplies, and protocols
used in preparation of the deadly anthrax contained in the letters, or may recover trace amounts
of the non-anthracis Bacillus or the powdered anthrax material remaining in the Subject
Residences and Vehicles, or may recover textile fibers that match those recovered from the tape
on the envelopes used in the anthrax mailings, or may recover hairs that match the Caucasian
hairs recovered from inside the contaminated mail drop box in Princeton, New Jersey, or may
produce papers, tape, pens, pencils, notes, books, manuals, receipts, financial records,
correspondence, address books, maps, handwriting samples, photocopy devices, scanners,
printers, toner or printer cartridges, photocopy exemplars, envelope bands, New Jersey
addresses, global positioning devices, zip-code information, photographs, computer files, cellular
phones, phone bills, electronic pager devices, other digital devices, or other documentary
evidence that may link Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins to the anthrax mailings and identify conspirators
involved in the attacks.
Based upon my knowledge, training and experience, my consultations with other criminal
investigators, persons engaged in criminal activity frequently store, or inadvertently deposit,
these kinds of items in their homes or automobiles and leave them on the premises for many
years after a crime, failing to recognize their forensic value and incriminating nature. This
conclusion is supported by trash covers that have been found in material recently discarded from
the house. On October 15 and October 22, 2007, trash was recovered from the front of 622
Military Road, Frederick, Maryland, including receipts from a 1995 purchase as well as other
documents related to KKG sorority. In my experience, vehicles are often used to store
documents, maps, receipts, and other papers related to travel that may be relevant to this
investigation.
20
The statements contained in this Affidavit are based in part on information provided by
FBI Special Agents and U.S. Postal Inspectors, on observations made by law enforcement
agents, and on my experience and background as an FBI Special Agent. I have not included
each and every fact known to me concerning this investigation. I have set forth only the facts
that I believe are necessary to establish the necessary foundation for the search warrant.
21
ATTACHMENT TO AFFIDAVIT
The search of the Subject Property and Premises will include a physical search and
forensic swabbing for the items mentioned in the text of the search warrant, including more
specifically the following:
1. Any assembled or unassembled Biological Threat Agent (BTA), or trace thereof, and
any BTA weapon, and/or any incendiary, radiological, nuclear, chemical or booby trap device.
5. Documents, memoranda, notes or other writings and equipment which include but are
not limited to schematics, diagrams, blueprints, surveillance equipment or its manuals and other
related paperwork, receipt for purchase of items, how-to magazines, books and pamphlets which
describe production, weaponization, and delivery techniques, directions, maps, diagrams, and
blueprints of delivery or target locations, communication which would include but not be limited
to handwritten notes and drawings, memos and photographs, which would include descriptive
information such as telephone numbers, addresses, affiliations and contact points of individuals
involved in a conspiracy to acquire, refine, alter, transport, and/or use a biological weapon. Note
that such documentary material described herein may be in printed or electronic form such as,
but not limited to, computer disks. Such computerized and other electronic material would
constitute contraband, fruits, instrumentalities or evidence of the offenses enumerated herein and
in the attached affidavit for search warrant.
[1]
6. Publications or other written materials evidencing knowledge of federal laws
including those related to biological weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
9. Bank documents and other records and documents pertaining to the expenditure of
funds for illegal activities, assets and funds used to facilitate illegal activities and assets and
funds obtained from the conduct of illegal activities.
11. Keys, records, or other information pertaining to storage facilities, safety deposit
boxes or other locations where assets or contraband may be stored.
12. Books, videos, pamphlets and any other written, audio, video media advocating
production, refinement, distribution of biological weapons or other acts of violence or
criminality.
13. Destructive devices, weapons of mass destruction or their components or parts and
any written medium pertaining to their design, use, operation, function, capabilities or other
attributes.
14. Records, documents, notes, or other material indicating the use of aliases or false
identities including birth certificates, driver's licenses, photographs, travel documents or
passports and miscellaneous items such as permits, registrations, certificates, licenses, and
badges of all types.
[2]
SEARCH WARRANT
CASE NUMBER: 08-431
AO93 (Rev.5/85)Search Warrant
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
In the Matter of the Search of
2002 Saturn SL1, blue, 4 door sedan bearing VIN # registered to Bruce Edwards Ivins, at Frederick, MD
TO: Postal Inspector Charles B. Wickersham and any Authorized Officer of the United States
Affldavit(s) having been made before me by Postal Inspector Charles B. Wickersham who has reason to
believe that • on the person or [x] or on premises known as (name, description and or location)
2002 Saturn SL1, blue, 4 door sedan bearing VIN # registered to Bruce Edwards Ivins, at Frederick, MD
in the District of Maryland there is now concealed a certain person or property, namely (describe the person or property)
.firearms and other weapons, ballistics vests or other protective gear, and any writings identifying a plan to
kill witnesses or names of intended victims, or any other relevant documents, notes and records in various
formats, including computer files and other electronic media, as more fully described in Attachment A.
I am satisfied that the affidavits(s) and any recorded testimony establish probable cause to believe that the person or
property so described is now concealed on the person or premises above described and establish grounds for the
issuance of this warrant.
YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED to search on or before July 21, 2008 (Date)
(not to exceed 10 days) the person or place named above for the person or property specified, serving this warrant and
making the search [x] (in the daytime - 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.) [] (at any time in the day or night as I find reasonable
cause has been established) and if the person or property be found there to seize same, leaving a copy of this warrant and
receipt for the person or property taken, and prepare a written inventory of the person or property seized and promptly
return this warrant to the undersigned U.S. Judge/U.S. Magistrate Judge, as required by law.
7/11/08 @ 4:51 pm
Date and Time Issued in Washington pursuant to
the domestic terrorism search warrant provisions
of Rule 41 (b)(3)
Deborah A. Robinson
U.S Magistrate Judge
Name and Title of Judicial Officer
United States District Court
For the District of Columbia
A TRUE COPY
NANCY MAYER WHITTINGTON, CLERK
Signature of Judicial Officer - Signature of Deborah A. Robinson
AO 109 (Rev. 12/03) Seizure Warrant
RETURN
DATE WARRANT RECEIVED DATE AND TIME WARRANT EXECUTED COPY OF WARRANT AND RECEIPT FOR ITEMS LEFT WITH
7-12-2008
7/11/2008
Inventory made in the presence of Colin Spence
INVENTORY OF PROPERTY SEIZED PURSUANT TO THE WARRANT
No items seized
FILED
JUL 1 7 2008
CERTIFICATION
NANCY MAYER WHITTINGTON, clerk
U.S. DISTRICT COURT
', swear that this inventory is a true anddetailedaccountof the property seized by me on the warrant