Posted: May 4th, 2014

What forensic evidence may be present in/on the letter to lead to a conviction of Dutschke

Answer each question using 200 words. This is your personal response.

1.A second arrest has been made after letters laced with the poison ricin was sent to President Obama and multiple other persons. The poison was located in a mail facility in Maryland and the investigation was started. The first arrest by the FBI occurred last week of an Elvis impersonator who claimed he was framed. James Dutschke, the second man who was arrested for the crime, has ties to the first suspect, a judge and a senator. What forensic evidence may be present in/on the letter to lead to a conviction of Dutschke? What may be found to rule out the Elvis impersonator as a suspect? What evidence may be present if the letter was handwritten? Typed/printed? What has to occur to ensure the evidence collected is admissible in court?

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/FBI-arrests-man-in-poisoned-letters-case-4469656.php

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/28/us/ricin-investigation/index.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323798104578451180966286430.html

What is the outcome of this case?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/us/defendant-admits-sending-letter-with-ricin-to-obama.html?_r=0

2.Fraudulent documents are something we hear of on a regular basis – whether we realize it or not. From counterfeit money to questioned wills to forged signatures/autographs to mortgage form fraud – fraudulent documents can cause major scandals that cost tax-payers millions of dollars. Generally, how can fraudulent documents be recognized? How can a document be authenticated to prove that it is not a fraud? Does the internet cause more problems with fraudulent documents, or less? Why? How can we prevent fraudulent documents from being made in the future? Is using a fingerprint scanner in lieu of signatures an answer? What are other options?