Chicago Man Pleads Guilty in Fish-Toxin Case

A suburban Chicago man has pleaded guilty to obtaining a deadly puffer-fish poison for use as a weapon.

Authorities say Edward F. Bachner IV wanted to use it to kill his wife and collect on a $20 million insurance policy.

The Lake in the Hills man pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom in Rockford to knowingly possessing the toxin for use as a weapon, wire fraud and filing a false tax claim.

Authorities arrested Bachner in 2008 after he picked up a package containing the toxins.

Court documents say four milligrams of the toxin can kill a human and that Bachner had ordered 98 milligrams.

The man in his late 30s faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.