An Auburn man is facing multiple felony charges after prosecutors say he posed as a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier before forcing his way into a Seattle home, assaulting a husband and wife and attempting to extort cryptocurrency.
Ian Alexander Blair, 31, of Auburn, was charged this week in King County Superior Court with first degree burglary, first degree extortion, two counts of second degree assault and first degree criminal impersonation, according to documents filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The charges stem from a Feb. 20 incident at a home in Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood, where police say Blair wore a full U.S. Postal Service carrier uniform and carried a mail bag in order to get the homeowner to open the door.
According to a Seattle Police Department certification for determination of probable cause, Blair handed the homeowner a letter – posing as a mail carrier – and told him he needed to open it in Blair’s presence. The letter demanded 10 bitcoins in exchange for information related to an ongoing civil lawsuit and threatened to provide damaging information to the opposing party if payment was not made within a week, court documents state.
After the victim began reading the letter, Blair allegedly pushed him into the residence and began assaulting him. The victim’s wife attempted to intervene and was also assaulted, according to police.
The victim’s wife told officers that Blair punched her two to three times in the face and briefly strangled her, restricting her breathing for several seconds, according to the probable cause statement. The victim was later diagnosed with a fractured sternum, a possible fractured rib and a fractured big toe, police wrote.
Officers arriving at the scene found the victim wrestling with Blair and took him into custody, according to police. Underneath the postal uniform, Blair was wearing a full Tyvek suit, documents state.
Police say the mail carrier bag Blair was carrying contained a device officers identified as a cell phone jammer, Gorilla tape, heavy duty plastic bags, zip ties, two unbranded tasers, a tourniquet, a beanie, mask and sunglasses capable of obscuring a person’s face, faraday bags and black plastic gloves.
When officers asked Blair if he worked for the Post Office, he replied “lawyer,” according to police.
Prosecutors have requested that bail be set at $1,000,000, citing concerns about the likelihood that the defendant may commit a violent offense. Court documents state that Blair has no prior criminal history but describe the alleged scheme as “extremely well planned” and violent.
Blair was booked into the King County Jail on burglary and assault charges, according to police.
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