Olympia man who sent his severed finger to the IRS last year now accused of mailing fake bomb

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — An Olympia man who authorities say mailed one of his fingers to the IRS last year is now facing federal charges for allegedly mailing a fake bomb to the agency.

Normand Lariviere, 68, of Olympia, was charged with mailing a threat to injure after IRS workers in Ogden, Utah,  discovered a package containing what appeared to be a pipe bomb on July 6.  A robot had to be used to determine the 'bomb' was fake. The return address on the envelope was Lariviere's.

Charging papers say he also sent his finger, a bullet and a marijuana joint to tax collectors in 2016. "The IRS contacted Lariviere and he admitted severing his finger and showed agents the homemade device he utilized to perform that action," the charging documents said.

Court documents say Lariviere has been upset with the IRS since he was laid off in the 1990s from his job as a civilian defense contractor.

He began filing grievances with federal agencies related to the Department of Defense, saying he shouldn't have to pay taxes because the government hadn't satisfied his claims.

Charging papers say Lariviere told investigators he made and sent the fake bomb. He remains jailed.