Ill. man gets 7 1/2 years for trying to poison wife with puffer fish toxin

(CBS) ROCKFORD, Ill.- Edward F. Bachner was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison on Monday for attempting to poison his wife with the toxins of a puffer fish, CBS Chicago reports.

Bachner pleaded guilty in August 2011 to federal charges of possession of the neurotoxin Tetrodotoxin with the intent to use it as a weapon, wire fraud, and filing a false tax claim, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

In June of 2008, Bachner was arrested and charged with unlawfully acquiring and possessing Tetrodotoxin to use as a weapon on five separate occasions, according to federal prosecutors, who noted that he possessed a quantity that was not reasonably justified.

The drug is a neurotoxin with no known antidote and can only be treated with supportive therapy, prosecutors said. The drug is naturally found in certain species of animals, including the puffer fish.

In 2009, Bachner was charged in a superseding indictment that added six new counts, reports CBS Chicago.

Bachner admitted in a plea agreement that he he fraudulently purchased a $20 million life insurance policy on a person he planned to poison, who was later revealed to be his wife.