THE cunning criminal who mailed poisoned letters to former President Barack Obama is now rubbing shoulders with gang members and white supremacists.
A martial arts instructor named James Dutschke, aged 53, was sentenced to many years in prison for a sinister plan where he tried to blame his rival, who was an impersonator of Elvis Presley, by targeting politicians.
In 2013, the nation watched in shock as Dutschke and Paul Kevin Curtis’ deadly feud unfolded in real time.
The scheme gained attention when Curtis was suspected of mailing letters coated with ricin to Obama, Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi, and Judge Sadie Holland.
The notes read, “No one listened to me before […] Maybe I have your attention now even if that means someone must die.
“I am KC and I approve this message.”
Dutschke’s former wife, Laura, informed law enforcement that the Elvis impersonator had started showing more dissatisfaction with the government and believed that he was under surveillance by drones.
But the embattled singer was horrified by the allegations and desperately told federal agents that he was innocent.
Eventually, detectives learned this was the final blow of a series of targeted attacks by his neighbor, Dutschke.
Dutschke admitted to the charges and was handed a combined sentence of 45 years in 2013 after cops discovered he had fondled underage girls at his martial arts studio.
The plotting pedo was locked up in the McCreary federal prison in Pine Knot, Kentucky, which is about three hours south of Louisville.
He spent his days with terrifying inmates like Ricky Mungia – a white supremacist who killed a man in a shooting spree targeting Black people, The Lee County Courier reported.
Other infamous inmates include Terrence Smith, who was a leader of the Bloods street gang in Baltimore, Maryland.
Smith tried to kill a community activist in a firebombing after they leaked information to the cops about the gang’s drug trafficking.
Roberto Cardona and Hector Gailindo were also Curtis’ new neighbors.
They led the Barrio Azteca gang on the Texas-Mexico border, where they kidnapped, murdered, trafficked drugs, and laundered money.
Paul Kevin Curtis’ feud with James Everett Dutschke
Their relationship began in 2005 when Dutschke worked for Curtis’ brother Jack at an insurance office. Initially friendly, it soured over time due to several factors:
- Newsletter dispute: Dutschke refused to publish Curtis’ allegations about body-part trafficking in a newsletter he produced.
- Physical confrontation: The two had a physical altercation at a Tupelo restaurant.
- Online stalking accusations: Curtis became convinced that Dutschke was stalking him online.
- Mensa membership controversy: Curtis claimed on Facebook to be a Mensa member, which angered Dutschke, an actual Mensa member. Dutschke threatened to sue Curtis for fraud over this false claim.
- Mutual accusations: Their feud centered around “who is the biggest liar and is putting false information on their website,” according to Curtis’ lawyer.
This long-standing rivalry ultimately escalated to the point where Dutschke allegedly framed Curtis by sending the ricin-laced letters to Obama and the other officials, leading to Curtis’ initial arrest.
Two years after his sentencing, Dutschke made a scene in court as he begged a judge to release him from solitary confinement.
He said he wasn’t an FBI threat, but prosecutors claimed they had uncovered conversations Dutschke had with his wife where he threatened an agent.
They also claimed the tireless criminal tried to get an inmate’s girlfriend to send a poisoned letter to Senator Roger Wicker a second time.
Now, Curtis is at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, and will be released in about ten years.
HORROR DUO
Dutschke and Curtis lived in Tupelo, a small southern town most known for being Elvis’ birthplace.
They met in 2007 after arguing over Dutschke’s refusal to publish a story Curtis wrote for a local newsletter that was distributed to restaurants in the town.
Curtis wished to write about a strange and unfounded experience he had as a cleaner at a local hospital.
He claimed that one night, when he was working, he found body parts hidden in a refrigerator.
He was fired shortly after and believed it was done in retaliation for uncovering an organ farming scheme facilitated by the hospital.
Curtis and Dutschke’s tiff over the story set off years of petty back and forth.
In the incoming Netflix docuseries The Kings of Tupelo, Curtis claims Dutschke tranquilized his beloved dog Moo Cow and set his house on fire.
After Curtis was able to prove his innocence, prosecutors turned to Dutschke – an insurance worker, fellow musician, and failed politician.
Dutschke was being investigated for molesting underaged girls at the time and had already raised eyebrows with his disturbing behaviors.
Former coworkers described him as smart but difficult. When he had to sign court papers for the fondling case, he drew a smiley face by his name, the New York Times reported.
During his trial, Dutschke showed his true colors. He tried to walk back his confession and went on a huge rant about Curtis, where he called the performer a Barney the Dinosaur impersonator.
Dutschke then compared himself to an Olympic gymnast.
He said he was willing to eat the letters on a peanut butter sandwich to prove they weren’t poisonous. He claimed they were covered with a harmless fertilizer.
The criminal said his arrest was a conspiracy plotted by the government before admitting his guilt.
Dutschke and Curtis’ rivalry will be unpacked in the three-part Netflix docuseries made by Tiger King’s director, released Wednesday.
