At least seven Chase banks across the metro area and three in Oklahoma received threatening letters containing white powder, leading to the evacuation of the banks Monday afternoon and a coordinated national effort to find out who sent the letters, federal officials said Monday.
Kathy Wright, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Denver, said FBI agents in Colorado, Oklahoma and at FBI headquarters in Washington were trying to determine who mailed the threats, which were first noticed at the banks Monday.
The powder did not appear to be dangerous, though some bank employees asked to be checked out by medical workers at the scenes, according to officials from the Denver Fire Department and Chase.
Jojan Henderson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Denver, said postal inspectors in Denver are working with the FBI to determine the source of the letters.
“We are involved in assisting in the investigation — where they may have come from and who sent the letters,” said Henderson.
Gary Johnson, spokesman for the FBI office in Oklahoma City, said that two Chase banks in Oklahoma City and one in nearby Norman received threatening letters and that “some” contained “a substance.”
The letters “basically indicated that the person who opened the letter was going to die,” said Johnson.
Johnson said the writer indicated the letters were in response to “an action the bank may have taken.”
He said the two banks in Oklahoma City were not evacuated, although the bank in Norman was. He said some, if not all, of the bank employees in Norman went through decontamination.
Johnson declined to say where the letters were postmarked.
Mary Jane Rogers, spokeswoman for Chase Banks, confirmed that “several” Chase banks in the Denver area also had received threatening letters.
“We are working quickly, swiftly, with both the FBI and the Postal Inspection Service to determine what happened to ensure the safety of our customers and employees as we determine the nature of the threats,” said Rogers. She said that “some of the letters” contained white powder.
Rogers said that Chase had not been, as far as she knew, threatened by either upset customers or disgruntled employees and had not been affected by the recent financial meltdown that hit some banks.
Initial word of the situation came at 10:30 a.m. Monday, when the Chase Bank at 3300 Colorado Blvd. was evacuated after white powder was discovered when an envelope was opened, said Denver Fire Lt. Phil Champagne.
“There was a threatening note in the envelope,” said Champagne.
A full hazmat response was ordered at the Colorado Boulevard location, according to Champagne.
He said that the white powder seemed “benign” and did not appear to present a hazard.
Another hazmat incident was reported at the Chase Bank at 1760 16th St., said the Fire Department spokesman.
Other Chase branch locations involved were at 9379 Sheridan Blvd., Westminster; 16746 E. Smoky Hill Road; 100 Detroit St.; 14417 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood; and 8015 Kipling St., Arvada. The Smoky Hill branch is located in an Albertsons supermarket, which was evacuated.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
