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CLEVELAND (AP) — A northeastern Ohio man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison after being convicted of having ricin and lying to FBI agents when he denied making the deadly toxin.
Prosecutors say Jeff Boyd Levenderis of Akron was planning to use the ricin to harm his stepfather and emergency responders in an elaborate suicide attempt.
A federal judge in Cleveland sentenced the 58-year-old Levenderis on Monday. He had faced a maximum of life prison.
His attorney says Levenderis never threatened or tried to hurt anyone with the ricin.
Prosecutors say Levenderis produced ricin at his home and kept it in a freezer until FBI agents recovered it in January 2011.
They say he was going to set a house fire and use the ricin against emergency responders.
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