Petty officer to pay for threats with fake WMD

A man who left a jar labeled “Anthrax” and vandalized the inside of the Newport Beach apartment he was evicted from will have to pay back authorities who responded and the apartment complex by August, prosecutors said Thursday.

Phong Huu Nguyen, a Navy petty officer second class, pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor counts of threatening with a fake weapon of mass destruction and vandalism.

He was ordered to repay $4,470 to the hazardous materials team that responded to the Coronado apartment on 16th Street where he’d been evicted.

Nguyen had been recently evicted from the apartment where he randomly painted expletives and the numbers “666” on the walls and left two jars filled with a white powder labeled “Anthrax” inside.

Maintenance workers found the jars and called authorities.

Nguyen will also have to repay the Coronado apartments just under $980 for the damage, officials said.

As part of a plea agreement offered by the court, Nguyen pleaded guilty and will have to pay the restitution and stay out of trouble until his next court appearance Aug. 31. If he does, the court will dismiss the charges.

— Joseph Serna