Man charged with sending bloody threat letter to Rep. Scott

A federal magistrate Wednesday ordered a Richmond man jailed after the FBI arrested him on a charge of sending U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott a bloodstained letter that contained threats of a Virginia Tech-style massacre.

The FBI arrested Phuong Nguyen Le in Richmond on Tuesday, charging him with mailing a threatening communication. Le, 48, is scheduled to return to court Friday afternoon for a bond hearing.

According to an FBI affidavit filed with a criminal complaint, Le has been upset since his wife was denied entry into the United States. The letter also contained a threat to cut the head off a U.S. consulate official in Vietnam.

On Nov. 25, an intern in Scott's Richmond office opened the letter,

noticed the bloodstains and called for help. Another employee put on a rubber glove and read the letter aloud, according to the affidavit.

The letter, addressed to the congressman, read in part, "I am so sick, angry... I want to do some thing," and then the writer says that if he ever saw U.S. Consular Section Chief Charles E. Bennett, he would "cut his head off," the affidavit states. Bennett works in Ho Chi Minh City.

The letter rambles on before referring to committing an act "more beautiful than Va Tech," the affidavit says. The letter was signed and smeared with blood. It also had Le's name and home address on it, the affidavit says.

The next day, FBI agent Douglas J. Brozick interviewed Le at his job with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Brozick wrote in the court affidavit that Le did not back down from his threats but told the agent to "forgive me for what I want to say." Le admitted writing the letter and biting his thumb open to spill blood on it. He repeated that he would cut Bennett's head off if he saw him, the affidavit says.

When asked about the Virginia Tech reference in the letter, "Le stated that the Virginia Tech shooter didn't tell anybody, but Le was telling people now. Le stated that he was capable of being like the young hero at Virginia Tech," Brozick wrote in his affidavit. Le said he has had thoughts of "driving a truck with a thousand gallons of gas and a pilot light" into a church, Brozick's affidavit says.

Before leaving, Brozick told Le to call him before he harmed himself or anyone else. "Le stated that he would not call before anything happened," the affidavit says.

It was unclear why Brozick did not arrest Le on the spot and instead waited six days before obtaining a warrant. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment other than to acknowledge that Le had been arrested.

Officials with the U.S. attorney's office in Richmond and for Scott in Washington also declined to comment.

Valena A. Dixon, communications director for the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, said Le was terminated on Wednesday. She said he had worked as a maintenance specialist there since March.

Tim McGlone, (757) 446-2343, tim.mcglone@pilotonline.com