Columbia man sentenced to prison for attempted chemical purchase
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A federal judge sentenced a Columbia man to prison Tuesday after he admitted to trying to buy a deadly chemical on the dark web.
U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark sentenced Jason W. Siesser, 46, to 12 years in federal prison without parole, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. Siesser pleaded guilty in August to one count of attempting to acquire a chemical weapon and a count of aggravated identity theft.
Siesser admitted to using a minor's name in summer 2018 to buy the chemical in lethal amounts using Bitcoin. Siesser ordered two 10mL units that the seller did not ship on July 4, 2018, according to the release. He later told the seller that he planned to use the chemical "soon," the U.S. attorney's office said.
Authorities say Siesser ordered three units that August, which are capable of killing 300 people.
Authorities oversaw the delivery of an inert substance to Siesser's home in August 2018. Siesser believed the substance to be the deadly chemical and investigators found the package when they raided Siesser's home, according to the release. They also found other toxic substances, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Legal documents redacted the name of the chemical Siesser ordered but reference an article on dimethylmercury.
Investigators also found writings by Siesser that referenced a romantic breakup and wanting to kill the person who caused his heartache, according to the release.
