Military veteran pleads guilty to illegal possession of ricin
A Marine Corps veteran who authorities say tried to fake his own death after a conflict with a Virginia militia group pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally possessing ricin, a biological toxin.
Russell Richardson Vane IV, 42, of Vienna, Virginia, has been in jail since his arrest in April.
During a plea hearing Wednesday in a federal court in Alexandria, Vane admitted that he used castor beans to make ricin at home.
Ricin is a toxin that occurs naturally in castor beans. Federal law requires anyone in possession of ricin to register and obtain a permit.
Flag came to the attention of the authorities after an online news source reported that a militia group, the Virginia Kekoas, had cut ties with him after becoming alarmed by what they saw as his loose talk about homemade explosives.
According to court documents, the Kekoas questioned whether he was a government informant.
According to an FBI affidavit, authorities searched Vane’s home and found a plastic bag containing castor beans and a handwritten recipe for extracting ricin. Later testing confirmed the presence of ricin.
In previous court hearings, Vane’s attorneys argued that prosecutors exaggerated the dangerousness of Vane’s behavior and said it was virtually impossible that ricin produced in the home could have been used as a deadly weapon. They also said Vane had never threatened anyone.
However, prosecutors said Vane’s actions were alarming. They said there is no legitimate reason for a normal person to produce ricin, and they also raised concerns about Vane’s attempts to fake his own death. Prosecutors presented evidence that Vane attempted to legally change his name in Fairfax County court and that he had posted a fake online obituary of himself.
During Wednesday’s plea hearing, U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga agreed that Vane could be released until a sentencing hearing scheduled for November. He faces a maximum of five years in prison, but would likely receive much less time. His plea agreement does not include a recommended sentence.
There was no immediate response to a phone call and email to Vane’s attorney seeking comment Wednesday evening.