Ohio man pleads guilty to sending 92 threats to public officials across the U.S.

A New Albany, Ohio, man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to sending 92 threatening communications targeting more than 30 public officials across Ohio and the United States, admitting to a months-long campaign that included anonymous letters containing white powder purported to be poison and a 9mm round etched with the Ohio attorney general’s name.

Ronald Lidderdale, 40, entered guilty pleas to 31 federal counts, including mailing threatening communications, transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce, conveying false information and hoaxes, and cyberstalking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. Authorities seized two 9mm pistols, ammunition, a lock-picking kit and tactical gear from Lidderdale’s residence.

Lidderdale sent the threatening communications between July 2024 and May 2025, targeting a wide range of officials including the Ohio governor, attorney general, secretary of state, members of the state Supreme Court, state legislators, a gubernatorial candidate, and several members of Congress, court documents show.

Many of Lidderdale’s letters were mailed to officials’ homes and offices — some addressed to their spouses — with return addresses belonging to staffers, law firms and other community members. Nearly 50 of the letters contained white powder purported to be poison that Lidderdale sometimes described as ricin, a deadly toxin. One letter sent to the Ohio attorney general’s office contained a single 9mm round with the attorney general’s name etched on the casing. In January 2025, he mailed letters containing white powder to seven locations threatening to kill the governor, prosecutors said.

To mask his identity, Lidderdale used an email service based in Switzerland to send encrypted, anonymous electronic messages. Throughout the communications, he threatened to shoot victims in the head or poison them with a chemical agent, repeatedly calling them “fascists” and “pedophiles.”

Investigators said Lidderdale also anonymously submitted an online tip to the FBI warning that his “urge to act has hit a boiling point” and that his “urge to kill will break my patience.” A forensic review of his devices further revealed that he had used ChatGPT to discuss his criminal conduct, ask about potential charges and inquire about what to expect in federal prison.

“Threatening political violence against public officeholders is antithetical to our system of government and will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said in a statement.