A Missouri man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he attempted to buy a chemical weapon on the dark web through Bitcoin, according to federal prosecutors, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Jason William Siesser, 46, of Columbia Mo., was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty last August to one count of attempting to acquire a chemical weapon “capable of killing hundreds,” the DOJ stated in a press release. Siesser also was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft. (RELATED: ‘Mortal Risk’: Commerce Department Tightens Restrictions On Exports To Russia Over Use Of Chemical Weapons On Its Own People)
Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Attempting to Purchase Chemical Weapon on the Dark Webhttps://t.co/GpMMnDXbWF
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) April 6, 2021
The 46-year-old admitted on two occasions between June 14 and Aug. 23, 2018, he tried to purchase the chemical weapon, according to federal prosecutors.
The first time Siesser ordered two 10 mL units of the chemical using Bitcoin on July 4, 2018, but the seller did not ship it at that time. On Aug. 5, 2018, using Bitcoin again, Siesser ordered three 10 mL units of the chemical, enough to kill 300 people, authorities said. He listed his shipping address in the name of a juvenile this time and the package did make it to his residence on Aug. 23, 2018.
Soon after his second purchase, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the Missouri man’s home, where they found the inert substance believed to be the chemical weapon, according to federal prosecutors. It was located on a top shelf in his garage.
Authorities discovered next to the weapon two unopened shipping boxes that contained approximately 10 grams of the toxic substance cadmium arsenide, which can be deadly if ingested or inhaled. They also found approximately 100 grams of cadmium metal and approximately 500 mL of hydrochloric acid in the boxes. An invoice showed these substances had been ordered together on March 30, 2018, authorities said.
Officials located writings Siesser had in his home, where he expressed feelings of “heartache, anger and resentment” from a breakup, federal prosecutors said. In these writings, he articulated he wanted the person who caused him to feel this way to die.