Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that OKAMI LANDA was sentenced to 130 months in prison for possession of child pornography and for sending a threatening, powder-filled letter to a federal agent who previously investigated and arrested him. LANDA previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Okami Landa has twice been convicted in this District of possessing child pornography. Today’s sentence holds Landa accountable not only for his participation in the exploitation and victimization of young children, but also for his intolerable decision to retaliate against the FBI by sending a terrifying, powder-filled letter to the agent who investigated him. This Office stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the dedicated FBI agents who investigate crimes against children. Their work should never make them targets of reprisal.”
According to court documents and statements made during court proceedings:[1]
In November 2021, LANDA, who had previously been convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for possession of child pornography in 2016, mailed a threatening letter filled with white powder to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) agent (the “FBI Agent”) who was assigned to a squad responsible for investigating crimes against children. The FBI Agent had interviewed and arrested LANDA in connection with his previous child pornography conviction. The threatening letter, which the FBI Agent opened inside a forensic laboratory at an FBI office in Manhattan, contained a white powdery substance and a message that said, among other things: “Hope you and your ugly cracker children and family get what you deserved, a slow, painful and terminal disease to end your sorry life.” The letter and powder prompted an emergency response from the FBI’s weapons and mass destruction team, which sealed the forensic laboratory before examining the powder and determining that it was safe. The FBI Agent and other FBI personnel in the area were quarantined and hospitalized for medical evaluation.
Through the FBI’s investigation, law enforcement examined the serial number of the stamp affixed to the threatening letter and learned that it was purchased using a credit card belonging to LANDA’s mother, who lived with LANDA at their residence in the Bronx. At the time, LANDA was on federal supervised release for his previous child pornography conviction and had previously made threatening statements about law enforcement, including about a desire to “blow up Federal Plaza because I hate the feds and they ruined my life.” Following an interview at his residence by FBI agents, the U.S. Probation Office conducted a search of LANDA’s residence, where they recovered multiple electronic devices, including a USB drive that contained 11 files with child pornography. The child pornography on LANDA’s USB drive included depictions of prepubescent minor females and adult males engaging in sex acts.
In addition to the prison term, LANDA, 41, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies.
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