The state attorney general's office has shut down a Buffalo company accused of scaring Western New Yorkers of potential terrorist attacks to hawk $30 "crisis kits."
Radi-Aid Inc. and the Laboratories of BioFend on Delaware Avenue sent fraudulent telemarketing messages to hundreds of local homes in mid-October, warning of a terrorist "dirty bomb," Attorney General Eliot L. Spitzer said Tuesday.
BioFend then marked up potassium iodide pills -- over-the-counter medication used to counteract radiation exposure -- and sold them as a "crisis kit," Spitzer's office said.
The firm, owned by Joseph Bella, was playing on the public's fears, just weeks after six Yemeni-Americans from Lackawanna were charged with supporting terrorism, Spitzer said.
"It is shameful this individual attempted to profit by inciting fear in Western New Yorkers of an imminent terrorist attack," Spitzer said.
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Assistant Attorney General James Morrissey, who handled the case, obtained a court order prohibiting Bella from operating similar businesses. The order also dissolves Radi-Aid and bars Bella from doing business as the Laboratories of BioFend.
Bella consented to the court settlement, which is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing, said Brian Melber, Bella's attorney. In fact, Melber emphasized the $2,500 in civil penalties Bella is ordered to pay is "extremely nominal."
"We don't necessarily agree with the attorney general's characterizations of the advertising that was done," Melber said.
The recorded message sent Oct. 18 by autodialer said:
"This is the anti-terrorism unit of BioFend in Western New York regarding the recent activities in our neighborhoods. You've probably heard that our local authorities have detained six allegedly trained al-Qaida terrorists and there are more on the prowl.
"We believe that the goal of this terrorist cell was to detonate briefcase-sized 'dirty bombs' right here in Western New York. . . . Our division is responsible for delivering crisis kits to every household in Western New York. . . . We cannot stress the importance of getting back to us enough. Agents are standing by."
e-mail: jrey@buffnews.com
