Man Accused of Threat to 'Blow Up' Court
Ohio man allegedly sent threats to Clarence Thomas, other prominent blacks.
April 10, 2008— -- A federal grand jury in Cleveland indicted an Ohio man for allegedly making threats against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and other high-profile black people.
David Tuason of Pepper Pike, Ohio, was indicted Wednesday on eight counts of mailing threatening communications. One charge involves a July 25, 2003, letter from Ohio to the Supreme Court, addressed to Thomas.
According to the indictment, the letter used vulgar language and concluded, "I will blow up the Supreme Court Building. … I want him killed."
Tuason was also indicted for allegedly sending a threatening letter April 14, 2007, to Kent State University's women's basketball team with threats to castrate black men who associate with white women.
Tuason also allegedly mailed additional threatening letters to sports teams in Ohio, including a high school football player at Strongsville High School.
The indictment also charged Tuason with sending a threatening e-mail in February to an employee at Jordache Enterprises; the message allegedly included threats of violence and the assertion "I … will bomb the place."
Law enforcement officials said they suspected it was possible that Tuason had made a series of threats against black people for decades.
FBI officials said that Tuason is believed to have sent out about 200 threatening letters in a 20-year period. The letters and threats appeared to have been sent sporadically and would at times trail off. Tuason is also believed to be the individual responsible for sending a series of threatening letters to professional baseball and football players in 2003 and 2004, FBI officials said.
A request to reach Tuason's lawyer at the federal defender's office in Cleveland has not been returned.
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