Gary Smith: Madison County Man Gets Probation for Fake Anthrax Scare

​A 68-year-old man from Madison County was sentenced this week to three years of probation and ordered to pay $1,200 in fines and court costs after pleading guilty to mailing a letter with fake anthrax to a family living in his hometown of Livingston.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Southern Illinois, Gary Smith mailed a white granular substance purported to be anthrax last June. The letter informed the reader that his or her hands were on fire and had been infected with a disease.

The fake anthrax turned out to be a harmless food ingredient.