Michael Smegal has sent letters and packages to the actress

A man who has allegedly stalked Jodie Foster is in custody for mailing a bomb threat to Van Nuys Airport.

The 42-year-old Michael Smegal was charged in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts for mailing the bomb threat on Dec. 4, 2007, reports KNBC.com.

The letter, which was received Dec. 6 at the airport's administration building, contained the handwritten words "Jodie Foster S" and "going to be a gas bomb this building."

The missive is one of more than 100 nearly identical letters sent to various institutions, celebrities and businessmen in the Los Angeles area from September 2007 through January 2008. All contained references to the Oscar-winning actress and some sort of bomb threat.

Smegal's attention to Foster first came to light around October 2004, when she began receiving letters and packages, one containing a prepaid cell phone with a request that she call a particular number. Instead, a federal agent called and spoke to Smegal, who then sent pictures of himself and his dog via phone.

In an August 2005 interview, Smegal admitted to sending the letters and packages to Foster and promised to stop. DNA samples on the first letters matched the DNA samples taken from the more recent wave of letters. Almost identical letters were found in Smegal's home in January. He claims that he mailed the threatening letters to airports because he believed the Screen Actors Guild had made disparaging remarks about Foster and that they were located at some of the airports.

Smegal faces up to 10 years in jail, three years of supervised release and a hefty $250,000 fine if he is convicted.

Foster, 45, has won Oscars for her lead roles in "Silence of the Lambs" and "The Accused." Her other credits include "Taxi Driver," "Candleshoe," "Little Man Tate," "Nell," "Contact," "Panic Room," "Inside Man," "The Brave One" and the upcoming "Nim's Island."