Nevada, Iowa Man Sentenced to Prison for Mailing Powder Letter to School

DES MOINES, Iowa – On February 19, 2019, Mondell V. Olson, age 67, of Nevada, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for the offense of false information and hoaxes, or mailing a ‘powder letter’ to the Nevada Schools, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Olson was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge Robert W. Pratt, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

In March 2018, Olson mailed an envelope addressed to a teacher at the Nevada Schools. Inside the envelope was a white powdery substance, and a note indicating the substance was anthrax. The investigation revealed the substance was not toxic. Olson admitted to sending the teacher the envelope. Olson was previously convicted of harassment charges in Story County for leaving threatening voice mails with the Nevada High School and a teenage student at the school.

This matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Nevada Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.