Man Jailed in Pufferfish Toxin Case

(Rockford, Illinois) A 35-year-old suburban Chicago man, Edward Bachner, is in federal custody without bond awaiting trial on charges of illegally possessing a deadly nerve agent in his home.

Authorities found 25 vials of the deadly nerve agent tetrodotoxin (TTX) and 20 vials with TTX residue inside Bachner's home.

Tetrodotoxin is found in pufferfish and is deadly in 50 to 60 percent of cases. There is no known antidote.

Federal authorities suspect that Bachner was planning on killing his wife. He denies the accusation and he wasn't charged. Defense attorney James Marcus stated that Bachner's wife is standing by him.

But prosecutors argued today that bail should be denied for Bachner because releasing him would pose a threat to the community. They say their investigation and subsequent searches of Bachner's home have revealed that 19 vials of tetrodotoxin are missing. The toxin is more than a thousand times more deadly than cyanide and is capable of producing rapid and violent death.

They also say Bachner possessed books on how to poison human beings complete with dosage amounts, had fake CIA credentials, had taken out a $5 million life insurance policy on his wife, had a Glock 9mm handgun his wife didn't know about, and had castor beans which are a precursor to the toxin ricin.

A criminal complaint from the FBI alleged that Bachner masqueraded as a doctor named "Edmund Backer" at the fictitious "EB Strategic Research," for which he used an address in Algonquin. That address was actually a box at a UPS store.

He attempted to purchase 98 milligrams of TTX from the chemical company Ascent Scientific, alarming an employee who said orders of more than 2 milligrams are rare, the affidavit said. The Ascent employee contacted the FBI on June 17, the affidavit said.

If convicted of unlawfully possessing tetrodotoxin, Bachner could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. A follow-up court appearance is scheduled for July 29.