Jesse William Korff, Deadly Toxin Sale, New Jersey 2014
NEWARK, N.J. - A Florida man is facing serious charges after federal agents arrested him on January 18, 2014, in LaBelle, Fla., on New Jersey federal charges alleging he sold the potentially deadly toxin abrin through an underground, Internet-based marketplace.
Jesse William Korff, 19, of LaBelle, was arrested as a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI. The criminal complaint charges Korff with one count of possession and transfer of a toxin for use as a weapon and one count of smuggling goods from the United States.
Korff, who had posted a listing for the sale of the toxin on a website known as “Black Market Reloaded” (BMR), was unaware the customer who responded was an undercover HSI agent. The defendant is scheduled for an initial appearance and bail hearing this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas N. Frazier in Fort Myers, Fla., federal court.
“The criminal complaint alleges Jesse Korff was willing to sell a potentially deadly toxin to a stranger over the Internet,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “He allegedly peddled the poison on a virtual black market of illegal and dangerous goods, hidden in the shadow of a secretive computer network favored by cybercriminals.
“HSI has worked tirelessly with the FBI and other law enforcement partners to combat underground websites such as BMR,” said Andrew McLees, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Newark. “Anyone who can sell abrin, a potential agent for chemical terrorism, must be stopped. The arrest of Korff shows HSI’s commitment to protecting the public from individuals who show a callous disregard for their safety in the interest of making a buck.”
According to the criminal complaint, Korff maintained a seller’s profile on BMR, through which he negotiated the sale of two liquid doses of abrin to the undercover agent. During their online conversations, Korff told the buyer about his delivery methods – concealing vials in a carved-out and re-melted candle – and discussed how much abrin was needed to kill a person of a particular weight and how best to administer the toxin.
Korff and the buyer agreed on a total purchase price of $2,500 for two doses of the poison. The undercover transferred a deposit – the equivalent of $1,500 in Bitcoin – from a bank account in New Jersey to Korff on January 6, 2014. The pair agreed that the buyer would travel from Canada on January 15, 2014, to retrieve the abrin from a prearranged location. Korff sent the agent pictures of a specific spot at a rest stop approximately 10 miles outside Fort Myers where he planned to leave the package.
On the arranged day, Korff dropped off a fast food bag containing two wax candles at the location. An undercover agent collected the bag and left behind an additional deposit toward the remaining payment. Korff was arrested on January 18, 2014, in LaBelle, Fla.
Mandatory Facts:
- Defendant: Jesse William Korff
- Criminal Charges: Possession and transfer of a toxin for use as a weapon and smuggling goods from the United States
- City and State: LaBelle, Florida/Newark, New Jersey
- Date: January 18, 2014
- Sentence or Outcome: Currently pending
- Dollar Amount: $2,500 (total purchase price), $1,500 (deposit in Bitcoin)
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Cybercrime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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