Federal authorities have accused a 59-year-old man from suburban Syracuse of mailing 21 threatening letters containing white powder over 15 years to local institutions and federal officials.

Brian Daniel Norton of Cicero has been jailed after an initial court appearance Tuesday with a detention hearing scheduled next week.

A federal complaint accuses Norton of felonies for mailing threatening communications and transmitting false information. The white powder, alleged to be either anthrax or ricin, proved to be harmless.

Prosecutors say the recipients included LeMoyne College and Bishop Ludden High School in Syracuse and U.S. Senator John McCain, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates and former Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle.

Norton could face up to 10 years in prison. The federal public defender’s office is assigned represent him.

(AP)