Henry Garcia, a 63-year-old resident of Vero Beach, Florida, has been indicted for sending a letter containing a hoax white powder to the New York State Attorney General's Office. The announcement was made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the FBI.
According to the indictment, Garcia mailed the threatening letter on February 22, 2024. Although the white powder was not hazardous, it was intended to appear as a biological weapon and intimidate New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
The charges against Garcia are accusations at this stage. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
United States Attorney Sarcone emphasized: “As alleged, the defendant mailed a white powder to Attorney General Letitia James here in Albany. No public servant, regardless of political affiliation, should be subjected to this kind of despicable, abhorrent conduct... Anyone engaging in this type of behavior – targeting New York State officials in Albany – should expect to be prosecuted in the Northern District of New York to the fullest extent of the law and no plea bargain will be offered for this conduct.”
FBI Special Agent Tremaroli added: “No public official should live in fear simply for showing up and doing the job they were elected to do. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force stands ready to aggressively investigate and bring to justice any individual looking to disturb the important work of our government leaders with dangerous threats of violence.”
If convicted, Garcia faces up to five years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and supervised release for up to three years. Sentencing will depend on various factors including U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Garcia appeared initially yesterday in Fort Pierce, Florida and is detained pending a detention hearing set for June 30, 2025.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force with support from multiple agencies including New York State Police and United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is handling prosecution duties.
