Daniel Frisiello, 24, sent five envelopes filled with powder to public figures around the United States, including Trump Jr. and actor Antonio Sabato Jr., the prosecutors allege.
Firsiello was arrested on his way to work on Thursday morning.
President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, 40, opened the envelope last month at a New York apartment. She called 911 and reported coughing and nausea. First responders rushed her and two other people to a hospital as a precaution. No one was hurt.
Three other envelopes were sent to a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, a professor at Stanford, and a U.S. senator from Michigan. The notes in the envelope included views, some political and some not. The envelope sent to Trump Jr. contained insults and a veiled threat.
“You are an awful, awful person. I am surprised that your father lets you speak on TV. You the family idiot. Eric looks smart,“ the letter read, according to officials who spoke to NBC. ”This is the reason why people hate you. You are getting what you deserve. So shut the [expletive] up.”
“These kinds of hoaxes may not cause physical harm but they scare the heck out of people because most of us recall the anthrax mailings of the early 2000s, when five people were killed,” U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling told NBC. “These hoaxes are easy to pull off—all you need is an envelope, a stamp, and a white powdery substance. So you'll see this office aggressively pursue these kinds of cases.”
“Truly disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their opposing views with such disturbing behavior,” Trump Jr. tweeted.
The Secret Service confirmed at the time that they and other agencies are investigating the incident.
Vanessa and Donald Trump Jr. married in 2005 and have five children.
Frisiello isn’t the first to send a powder-filled envelope to a Trump family member. Eric Trump received a white powder envelope in March 2016 and similar letters were sent to Trump Tower twice in 2016.
