N.Y. man charged with trying to obtain poison used for weapon

NEW YORK - A Manhattan man has been charged with trying to acquire the deadly poison ricin over the Internet for use as a weapon.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced the Dec. 23 arrest of Cheng Le after court papers were unsealed Tuesday. They said Le has remained incarcerated on charges of attempting to acquire and distribute ricin and committing postal fraud.

He is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court Friday. His lawyer did not immediately return a message for comment.

Prosecutor Preet Bharara said in a release that the 21-year-old Le tried to acquire ricin over the Internet. He said law enforcement interrupted his plans. No ricin was delivered. The release said Le was arrested after he picked up a sham shipment from the post office.