Ohio man arrested for allegedly sending feces-filled letters to GOP lawmakers

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An Ohio man is in custody after he was accused of sending about three-dozen feces-filled letters to lawmakers around the country, including Ohio's 25 Republican state senators in early July.

On Friday, the police arrested Richard Steinle, a 77-year-old from Mogadore, Ohio, and former Portage County Common Pleas Court mediator. Steinle is charged with sending injurious articles as non-mailable, violating a federal law that prohibits mailing certain things, including hazardous material, according to court records.

The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum prison sentence of one year and a $100,000 fine. A message seeking comment was left by Steinle's lawyer.

The feces mailed in early July prompted an investigation by the U.S. The Postal Inspection Service, but investigators said Steinle has been sending letters to elected officials in Washington D.C. Kentucky, California and Ohio since August 2021.

The mailroom employees in the Ohio Statehouse and the post offices in Cleveland and Akron intercepted 25 letters that never made it to their intended recipients. The return addresses on the letters were deemed to be fake. Some letters contained words such as pig and racist on them, according to court records.

In late July, investigators for the U.S. were called in. Postal Inspection Service conducted a surveillance on Steinle's home after a tip from another court employee that Steinle might be involved in sending the letters. After retrieving the letter, investigators found it to be contaminated with feces, and Steinle sent a letter while wearing a glove. According to court records, the letter was addressed to Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan.

A message was left with the U.S. It is not clear if the feces were human or animal.

Senate GOP spokesman John Fortney called the incident outrageous and a serious health risk in early July.

Fortney said that this type of biohazard attack doesn't stop with the people it is directed at. It is possible that every employee at the Ohio Statehouse, regardless of their political affiliation, could be affected by this. Steinle was released on a $20,000 bond and his next hearing is set for Aug. 25.