Ian A. Blair following his arrest in Seattle (King County Prosecutor’s Office).
A 31-year-old man in Washington state is accused of dressing up like a U.S. Postal Service carrier to personally deliver an extortion letter to a couple before pushing his way into their home and attacking them.
Ian Alexander Blair was taken into custody late last month and charged with burglary, assault, and extortion over the alleged attack, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Seattle Police Department, at about 2:16 p.m. on Feb. 20, officers responded to a 911 call regarding an assault in progress at a residence in the 300 block of North 74th Street in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. While en route, police learned that the alleged assailant was dressed as a mail carrier and “attacking the homeowner.”
Witnesses flagged down officers as they arrived on the scene and pointed them to the victims’ home. Upon entering, police found Blair in a physical struggle with the 52-year-old homeowner while the owner’s 50-year-old wife “was standing over them in distress.”
After separating the two, police asked if the suspect was employed by the U.S. Postal Service. After initially refusing to answer, Blair eventually said, “Lawyer,” per the release.
Underneath the mail carrier uniform, police said Blair was wearing a Tyvek-style suit, a disposable garment typically worn to protect from hazardous material.
“Police learned the victim answered the door after the doorbell rang,” the release states. “The suspect stood in the doorway with a piece of mail. He told the victim to open it in front of him. The victim thought that it was strange but opened the mail. The letter demanded an amount of cryptocurrency. The suspect then forced his way inside, assaulted the victim and his wife.”
Officers searched Blair’s bag and found a number of items, including black Gorilla tape, two rolls of heavy-duty black plastic bags, large zip ties, Tasers, a tourniquet, a lint roller, an electronic signal blocking pouch, a black beanie, a prepaid burner phone, a face mask, dark sunglasses, and a box of plastic gloves.
Court documents obtained by Seattle NBC affiliate KING provided some additional details about the alleged attack. According to the documents, Blair’s letter sought money from the victim in exchange for information he claimed was relevant to a civil lawsuit involving the victim.
Blair rang the victims’ doorbell and handed him an envelope, directing him to open it immediately. It read, in part:
My price for this is ten bitcoins: five paid up front, and five more paid once I deliver the information.
It also turns out I am in possession of some information that would be of interest to the other side, regarding you and your activities. If you do not take this offer with one week, I will make an offer to the other side – and I’m sure he’ll jump at the chance to put you in trouble with the law.
Blair allegedly pushed his way into the home while the owner was reading the letter, then punched and strangled the wife when she tried to help her husband.
Blair was booked into the King County Jail where he is being held in lieu of $1 million bond. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to appear in court.
