US magician who claimed he mailed himself admits hoax

A magician who posted videos online detailing a "trip" he made in a crate aboard a cargo plane from upstate New York to Las Vegas admitted on Tuesday that it was an elaborate hoax.

"It was a publicity stunt right from the start," said Wade Whitcomb, of North Syracuse, after federal officials declared the event a hoax.

"If that's what they say, that must be the truth."

"The FBI spoke to Whitcomb; he did not ship himself anywhere. We have no further interest in this," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said on Tuesday.

Whitcomb had claimed he folded himself into a cramped wooden crate for the 26-hour trip on a United Parcel Service truck and a UPS plane. He posted a series of videos online of the purported trip shot with tiny cameras pointed out of the crate and one inside focused on him.

Whitcomb, who goes by the stage name Wade Live, claimed he made the trip last November to publicise a buddy's website.

The Transportation Security Administration and the FBI investigated Whitcomb's claim, saying it would violate a number of laws. The Atlanta-based UPS Inc. also investigated.

UPS spokesman Dan McMackin said he couldn't verify the claim.

"To me, it seems like a publicity stunt, and therefore, I think it could be a hoax," he said.