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You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Former legislative clerk pleads guilty in white powder hoax

Former legislative clerk pleads guilty in white powder hoax

December 15, 2015 By Matt Kelley

 2012 photo of Michael Dekota McRae (L), Ako Abdul-Samad.

2012 photo of Michael Dekota McRae (L), Ako Abdul-Samad.

A former clerk for a state lawmaker has admitted he was behind a hoax that led to a lockdown of the state capitol.

Twenty-eight-year-old Michael McRae pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to conveying false information concerning a biological weapon.

McRae was a legislative clerk to Representative Ako Abdul-Samad of Des Moines, in April 2012, when he opened an envelope containing white powder on the floor of the House. The incident prompted a halt in debate and the lockdown.

Tests confirmed the powder, which came in contact with Abdul-Samad, was harmless. McRae also admitted to writing a threatening letter, which used racial slurs directed at himself and Abdul-Samad.

McRae faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he’s sentenced. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on March 25.

 

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Filed Under: Crime / Courts, News, Politics / Govt, Top Story Tagged With: Democratic Party, Legislature

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