Vienna man pleads guilty to illegally possessing ricin

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Vienna man pled guilty today to possession of ricin by an unregistered person.

According to court documents, in December 2022, Russell Richardson Vane IV, 42, conducted a number of searches on his federal government workplace computer for instructions on how to isolate ricin toxin from castor beans. At some time in December 2022 or January 2023, Vane obtained castor beans and successfully separated ricin toxin from them in his residence in Vienna. Vane disposed of the byproducts of the production and stored a sample of the ricin in a test tube for further testing but was unable to readily obtain testing equipment. He kept the test tube in a storage box in his home.

On April 10, 2024, laboratory equipment that Vane used to isolate the ricin was recovered during a search of his residence. Vane does not have a registration as required by regulations under the Public Health Services Act to lawfully possess ricin, which is a deadly poison.

Vane is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7. He faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Sanjay Virmani, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterterrorism Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda St. Cyr and Danya E. Atiyeh are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-101.