A judge on Friday ordered a Marine Corps veteran and former militia member to remain jailed pending trial on charges of attempting to manufacture the biological toxin ricin.
Russell Bain, 42, of Vienna, Virginia, died two weeks ago after authorities searched his home and found traces of ricin in the laundry room of the house he shared, along with lab equipment and castor beans, the raw material for ricin. was arrested. his wife and two young children, according to court documents.
Mr. Behn came to the attention of authorities after the online news outlet News2Share reported that the Kekoa, Virginia, militia had severed ties with Mr. Behn, alarmed by his loose statements about homemade explosives.
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According to court documents, the Kekoa tribe questioned the possibility that he was a government informant.
The report sparked a federal investigation that led to a search of Behn’s home in northern Virginia. The suspect was arrested after agents discovered a plastic bag containing castor beans and a handwritten recipe for extracting ricin from the beans, according to an FBI affidavit.
Russell Bain, 42, of Vienna, Virginia, was ordered held pending trial on suspicion of attempting to make ricin.
Later tests confirmed the presence of ricin, according to court records. An “apocalypse checklist” was also found in Vane’s home that outlined the steps needed to quickly evacuate the home with the necessary preparations.
At a detention hearing Friday in U.S. District Court, public defender Jeremy Kamens said the government was “grossly overcharging for this crime,” which carries a possible life sentence. They called for the release of Mr. Bain, who is currently under home confinement pending trial.
Kamens said there is no evidence that Vane threatened anyone. He said it is virtually impossible for someone to manufacture ricin at home in a way that would be used as a weapon.
But U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga sided with prosecutors, who argued that Vane was a potential danger to the community and should remain locked up.
The judge said that regardless of the toxicity of the homemade poison, he could not think of any benign reason for Vain to try to manufacture the poison.
Trenga also questioned whether the vanes posed a flight hazard. The government presented evidence that Mr. Bain recently attempted to legally change his name in Fairfax County Court and that he posted a fake obituary of himself online.
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Bain’s lawyers suggested the name change and fake obituary were an effort to distance himself from his militia ties.
