Timothy O'Donnell, the 51-year-old man charged last week with sending the letters,
apparently first came to attention of the authorities when they noticed
the same IP address had visited websites affiliated with recipients of
the mailings within a few days of when the letters were mailed.
According to an August affidavit in support of a search warrant
obtained by TPM from the U.S. Attorney's office, O'Donnell was observed
visiting the residence connected to the IP address, located on a quiet
tree-lined suburban road in Park Ridge, Illinois. Law enforcement agents
found an envelope similar to those sent to recipients of the letter in
the trash outside his own residence.
At the point the affidavit was written in August, officials had
allegedly already connected O'Donnell's fingerprint on the underside of a
postage stamp affixed to an envelope containing one of the letters.
The letters referenced a "Secret Covenant" and
"secretsofmardigras.com," according to the affidavit, which also said
that at least 35 of the letters contained handwritten notes calling for
the arrest of British financier Evelyn de Rothschild and American David
Rockefeller.
A member of the Zeitgeist movement in Chicago told the FBI that
O'Donnell attended meetings from June and Sept. 2010 and shouted out
that the Rockefellers should be arrested. He was subsequently banned
from meetings because his behavior was "extreme," according to the FBI
source.
The Zeitgeist movement "works globally to spread information about a
new social system called a Resource Based Economy," according to its
website. A movie by the founder of the movement reportedly inspired Jared Lee Loughner, the man charged with shooting Rep. Gabby Giffords and killing several others last January.
The letters allegedly written by O'Donnell reflected some of the
Zeitgeist movement's points of view, stating that the "supply of
resources available on this earth for all families to live a peaceful
and happy life." Officials with the Chicago Zeitgeist movement did not
respond to TPM's requests for comment.
O'Donnell was released on a recognizance bond of $5,000.00 on Thursday.
(Correction: It was the movie "Zeigeist," produced by Peter
Joseph, that reportedly inspired Loughner, not the Zeigeist Movement,
which was founded by Peter Joseph.)"
