Clifton Lamar Dodd, Mailing Hoax Letters, Louisiana 2023

LAFAYETTE, La. – In a bizarre case of prison shenanigans, a jury has found Clifton Lamar Dodd, a 49-year-old federal inmate, guilty of mailing hoax letters to United States Senate post office boxes.

According to Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook, the four-day trial came to a close with a guilty verdict against Dodd, who faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. presided over the trial.

The ordeal began on May 2, 2016, when personnel at the United States Senate mail facility received four suspicious mailed envelopes, each containing a white powdery substance. The envelopes bore a return address of FCI Oakdale and listed a different inmate as the purported sender.

Investigation revealed that the white powder was merely talcum powder, but what raised eyebrows was the note scrawled in all caps on a small scrap of paper that stated, ‘MY BOSS MADE ME DO THIS.’ On the back of each note was the name of four different inmates, all of which were housed at FCI Oakdale.

U.S. Capitol Police, FBI agents, and Bureau of Prisons agents launched an investigation into the origin of the letters. Dodd’s fingerprints were found on the outside of one of the envelopes, linking him to the crime.

The FBI, Bureau of Prisons, and U.S. Capitol Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Forrest Phillips prosecuted the case. Sentencing has been set for October 28, 2021.

Clifton Lamar Dodd’s actions have sparked outrage and concern among law enforcement officials. As the investigation unfolds, one thing is clear: sending hoax letters to the US Senate is a serious offense that will not be taken lightly.

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