North Syracuse man pleads guilty to sending 18 threatening letters, saying 'I'm going to kill you dead'

FILE – The Department of Justice seal is seen in Washington, Nov. 28, 2018. President Joe Biden campaigned on a pledge to work toward abolishing federal…

FILE – The Department of Justice seal is seen in Washington, Nov. 28, 2018. President Joe Biden campaigned on a pledge to work toward abolishing federal capital punishment. But his Justice Department continues to press for the death penalty in certain cases — even as a moratorium means no federal executions are likely to happen anytime soon. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

by: Megan Hatch

Posted: Feb 28, 2023 / 01:55 PM EST

Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:04 PM EST

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A man from North Syracuse pled guilty on Tuesday, February 28 to mailing 18 threatening letters.

40-year-old David Backus of North Syracuse, pled guilty to six counts of mailing threatening communications.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) made the announcement.

Backus admitted as part of his guilty pleas that between November 2021, and September 2022, he mailed 18 threatening letters to six victims through the U.S. Postal Service.

In each of those letters, Backus threatened, among other things, “I’m going to kill you dead!!!” He admitted that he intended for each of these mailings to be a threat and he knew that they would be viewed as a threat.

Backus’ sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2023, and he faces up to five years in prison on each count, a maximum fine of $250,000 and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to three years.

The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigated the case, with the assistance of the New York State Police, the Town of Kirkland Police Department, the Town of New Hartford Police Department, the Village of North Syracuse Police Department, and the City of Oswego Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie is prosecuting the case.