Woman accepts plea deal after sending ricin letters to Obama, Bloomberg
TEXARKANA, Texas >> A Texas woman accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, a newspaper reported Saturday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Coan added into the case docket for Shannon Guess Richardson a one-line entry that states “notice of plea agreement,” the Texarkana Gazette reported.
Authorities say the New Boston, Texas, actress mailed ricin-laced letters to Obama, Bloomberg and a leader of the mayor’s gun-control group. Court documents state the then-pregnant Richardson tried to frame her husband for the crime.
The terms of the deal have not yet been made public, and a Dec. 2 pretrial hearing has been canceled. However, it is possible that the terms of the agreement will be discussed at another hearing, the newspaper reported. Typically, as part of a plea deal, a hearing is held so a defendant can change their plea to guilty.
Richardson’s court-appointed attorney, Tonda Curry, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Richardson, 35, has been charged with two counts of threat by mail and one of threatening the president. She remains jailed after giving birth in July.
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Richardson has been in federal custody since June 7. Later that month, a federal grand jury handed down a three-count indictment.
Authorities allege that Richardson created a ricin-type concoction using castor beans, bulk lye and syringes she ordered over the Internet. Three letters she mailed, one to Obama, one to Bloomberg and a third to Michael Glaze, head of the gun-control group, tested positive for ricin, according to an FBI criminal complaint.
If convicted, Richardson could face up to five years in federal prison for each offense and a fine of up to $250,000.