Charge: Olympia man mailed IRS severed finger, fake bomb Investigators say angry Navy vet threatened to continue campaign, telling agents ‘I’m not going to tip my hand’

Photo: Susan Walsh, STF Normand Lariviere, 68, of Olympia, is accused of mailing a fake...

An Olympia man accused of mailing one of his own fingers to the IRS now faces federal charges.

Federal prosecutors in Tacoma say Normand Lariviere sent a fake bomb to an IRS office in Utah. Lariviere, 68, is also alleged to have sent tax collectors a bullet as well as a marijuana joint.

Writing the court, a special agent with the Federal Protective Service said Lariviere has been upset with the IRS and other federal agencies since he was laid off in the 1990s from his position as a civilian defense contractor.

Having served eight years in the Navy, Lariviere worked as a civilian electrician for the Navy until the early 1990s. After losing that position, he began filing grievances with federal agencies related to the Department of Defense.

According to charging papers, Lariviere told an IRS agent that he should not have to pay taxes because the government had not satisfied his claims. Lariviere’s correspondence is alleged to have taken a concerning turn in recent months.

MORE FROM SEATTLEPI: Cops: Con rose from crack dealer to suburban Seattle kingpin

Lariviere’s 2016 mailings included a joint, a bullet and, most worryingly, his own severed finger, the special agent said in charging papers. Contacted by investigators, the agent continued, Lariviere “admitted severing his finger and showed agents the homemade device he utilized to perform that action.”

On July 6, IRS workers in Ogden, Utah, discovered a package containing a 6-inch metal pipe made to resemble a bomb, the special agent said. IRS letters to Lariviere were packed with the pipe, as was a photo of Lariviere. Bomb technicians examined the device and found it was packed with a whistle.

MORE FROM SEATTLEPI: First-class flier charged in fight: 'Don't you know who I am?'

Lariviere was interviewed by investigators in Olympia the following day. According to charging papers, he admitted to making and sending the fake bomb, and then threatened further action.

“I don’t have a choice if I don’t get an answer,” Lariviere told investigators, according to charging papers. “Many things I could do. I’m not going to say. … I’m not going to tip my hand.”

Lariviere was arrested and charged with mailing a threat to injure. He remains jailed.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.