In the fall of 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, America faced another crisis.

This one involved anthrax. Envelopes containing the deadly bacteria were being mailed to people across the country, including some elected officials and journalists.

Before the danger was fully understood, 22 people were exposed to the disease, and five of them died.

News reports at the time suggested the specific anthrax being used in these mailings was technologically advanced. The term “weaponized” was tossed about, indicating the substance may have been the product of bioweapons research. While anthrax in its natural form is fatal, it also is difficult for humans to contract.

It wasn’t long before the name Steven Hatfill came into the public consciousness. A former Army scientist, Hatfill reportedly fit a profile of the suspect developed by the FBI. At one point, he was even identified as a “person of interest” in the case by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Last week, Hatfill again became a person of interest — this time by collecting $5.8 million in a settlement of his lawsuit against the Justice Department. Hatfill charged federal officials with violating his privacy through both public comments and anonymous leaks to the press.

In reaching this settlement, the government continued to defend itself. “The United States does not admit to any violation of the Privacy Act and continues to deny all liability in connection with Dr. Hatfill’s claims,” Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

But the reality is that the government — particularly the FBI — botched this case. And Hatfill’s treatment was a travesty of justice.

Even worse, however, are the consequences of focusing on a single individual who — it now appears — had nothing to do with this crime. That means the real culprit is still out there and presumably capable of striking again.

This was an ugly episode all around. Its occurrence just after Sept. 11 fed into the nation’s fears over terrorism. And the public targeting of Hatfill revealed an arrogance on the part of federal investigators that served to reinforce every stereotype of a government with too much power.

Some FBI agents connected with the case say this was the result of inexperienced leadership within the bureau in charge of the probe. These officials were too quick to jump to conclusions and ignore other possibilities.

And then there were Hatfill’s legal maneuvers, which saw several journalists threatened with huge daily fines for failing to cooperate and reveal their sources for leaked information. This was part of what’s becoming a growing trend of pressuring reporters with jail or fines to reveal their sources in court.

One lesson of the Hatfill saga may be that journalist need to be more suspicous of anonymous sources. But in the larger scheme of things, punishing journalists who are trying to do their jobs will do much more harm than good to this nation.

Yet that’s simply one more facet of the Hatfill mess. Perhaps the money Hatfill receives will make him happier. But he’ll be the only one.