The Mysterious Case of Roger Von Bergendorff

May 20, 2008

On Friday, May 2, 2008, unemployed graphic designer and mystery man Roger Von Bergendorff, 57, pleaded not guilty to possession of a biological toxin, in this case, ricin.  He also pleaded not guilty to weapons charges.  Poisoned by the deadly substance that is derived from castor beans, Von Bergendorff has been in federal custody in Las Vegas, Nevada since his April 16 arrest following his prolonged recovery from the presumably accidental ricin exposure that occurred in his extended stay suite, only blocks from the Las Vegas Strip, on February 14, 2008.  A June 17, 2008 trial date has been scheduled.  If convicted of all of the alleged charges, Von Bergendorff could face 30 years behind bars and a $750,000 fine.

When the story broke this past Valentine's Day, Von Bergendorff had placed an emergency call for assistance from his suite, complaining that he was having trouble breathing.  He was immediately transported to a local hospital where he remained unconscious for the next two months, purportedly because of a coma and sedation.  Because his symptoms were consistent with ricin exposure, and despite his attorney's denials that ricin had caused Von Bergendorff's problems, the police searched his suite two weeks later, on February 28, and found approximately 4 grams of "crude" powdered ricin, along with guns, illegal silencers and anarchy literature that contained information on ricin.

Although police officials claimed that Von Bergendorff's case did not have any ties to terrorism despite the items found inside his suite (could it be that authorities feared what a case of suspected terrorism could do to the Las Vegas tourist industry?), it was noted that amounts of ricin small enough to fit on the head of a pin, about 500 micrograms, can be lethal to an adult.  Federal prosecutor Gregory Damm told the Associated Press that the amount found in Von Bergendorff's Extended Stay America suite, located on Valley View Boulevard and Flamingo Road just west of The Strip, was enough to kill...

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