Man banned from OkCupid arrested for sending threatening letters to CEO

BEVERLY, Mass. — A Beverly man has been arrested for allegedly sending threatening letters to the online dating website OkCupid.

Authorities said Liam MacLeod, 47, sent the dating site nine letters, one of them containing a suspicious white powder, after being banned from the site.

MacLeod was charged by criminal complaint with mailing threatening communications and conveying false information and hoaxes and is due in federal court in Boston Thursday afternoon.

The complaint states OkCupid's corporate headquarters received, between Sept. and Dec. 2017, nine letters containing either threatening messages and/or suspicious substances. All the letters were addressed to OkCupid's CEO.

MacLeod is accused of sending a letter to the company's CEO in Dallas on Sept. 12, 2017 with a suspicious white powder and a typewritten letter insinuating the powder might be Anthrax. The letter reads:

"Greeting from Beverly<br/> Ban me will ya<br/> Welcome to the wonderful world of ANTHRAX<br/> Expect a package within the next couple of days<br/> It won't be ticking but it should be interesting!"

About two days later, on Sept 14, 2017, MacLeod allegedly mailed another envelope addressed to the company's CEO in Dallas saying:

"How'd you like what I sent you?  Aww, go take a powder. Oh, the things I have in store for you!  I can go on like this for years. How long can you last? <br/> Incidentally, my father was an angel: That's Hell's<br/> Angel to you.  You see, we have some pull.  Take for<br/> example your vehicles.  We now know who owns<br/> what, and where each of you parks his.<br/> Hmm, think of the possibilities!"

A third envelope, according to the complaint, was sent to the company's CEO in Dallas around Sept. 20, 2017. The envelope and its contents had red-brown staining, which MacLeod indicated was blood infected with the AIDS virus.

The complaint further alleges five other envelopes addressed to OkCupid's CEO in Dallas were sent between Oct. 4, 2017 and Dec. 21, 2017, each containing threatening communications and/or suspicious substances.

Each of these letters prompted a hazmat response in order to rule out any biological or chemical danger. Further testing indicated that none of the substances mailed by MacLeod contained hazardous materials.

Cox Media Group