| | 66-year-old man convicted of anthrax hoaxes
 SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – A 66-year-old man has been indicted for sending more than 120 letters containing harmless white powder marked "anthrax" to media outlets and public figures, according to justice officials.
The Department of Justice said Mark Keyser, of Sacramento, faced arraignment on 13 counts for his hoax mailing, which was sent to media outlets in California, Washington, and North Carolina.
According to prosecutors, Keyser sent packages including a compact disc titled "Anthrax: Shock & Awe Terror," accompanied by a small bag of powder carrying a bio-hazard label and marked "Anthrax Sample."
The packages triggered security alerts and evacuations in numerous states, a statement from the Justice Department said.
Keyser was arrested on October 29 and admitted telling investigators he was responsible for the mailings. He claimed to have sent the letters in an effort to heighten awareness of the dangers posed by bio-terrorism.
He faces up to five years in prison on each of the 10 counts of sending hoax mails and up to 10 years on each of three counts of sending threatening communications.
In 2001, in the weeks following the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, five people died and 17 others were infected after letters containing anthrax powder were mailed to news media offices and two US senators.
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