Criminal charges for hate mail?

MILAN — Could the sender of a hate letter — which was delivered to a candidate for office in Erie County — face criminal charges? Possibly, according to local law enforcement officials. Mary Bruno, a candidate for Milan mayor, recently received a glitter bomb in the mail along with insulting messaging. The letter read: "Hoping that today, people treat you like the (expletive) (expletive) you are." "This is the village of Milan," Bruno said. "There should be no place for this." Authorities continue to investigate the letter and determine if criminal charges are warranted. Origin discovered? A card identical to the one received by Bruno is being advertised by an online-based sales platform. A posting on Etsy, a craft and handmade e-commerce website, advertises the same letter — listed as an "unapologetic profanity card" — and other letters containing similar insults. The person selling these cards on Etsy lists their business address in Oklahoma. According to U.S. Postal Service tracking details of Bruno's letter, the letter she received also originated in Oklahoma. When purchasing the card, buyers also have the option to stay anonymous, which makes finding the sender more difficult. The letter sent to Bruno did not have a listed sender. The seller says that they will not disclose the names of the people who order the insulting letters. The postal inspectors have decided not to move forward with an investigation. Local police have taken the matter into their own hands with an investigation. Charges possible? It is unknown if the sender can be identified and, if so, if they will be charged criminally. Michael Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, also said that more research would need to be done to determine if any laws were violated. "You would have to look at the laws of where it is sent from (maybe Oklahoma), where it is received (Ohio) and of course the federal laws since it is sent across state lines and via the US Post," Benza wrote. "Criminal law starts with 'did you read the statute?' Then you get nuances. But you also have First Amendment issues that allow us to be nasty to each other without it being a crime. So the specific statutes would have to be known in order to know if anything is violated." Kevin Baxter, the Erie County prosecutor, believes there is still a lot that must be done before making any final decisions. "I'd ultimately reserve judgment until they complete their investigation," Baxter said. "Until the investigation is complete, it's kind of hard to determine what type of specific charge there may be." Following conversations with the Erie County Sheriff's Office about the letter, Baxter believes the sender could possibly be charged under the misdemeanor disorderly conduct statute. It's still not clear what the sender's motive was or if it had anything to do with Bruno's candidacy for office. The sender of the mail is yet to be known. The sheriff's office is investigating.