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Eugene

(61,963 posts) Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:05 PM Dec 2013

Texas Woman Admits to Sending Ricin to Obama

Source: Associated Press

DALLAS December 10, 2013 (AP)
By NOMAAN MERCHANT Associated Press

A Texas woman and former actress pleaded guilty Tuesday to sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, under a deal that her attorney has said would cap prison time at 18 years.

Shannon Guess Richardson pleaded guilty in federal court in Texarkana, Texas, to a federal charge of possessing and producing a biological toxin.

Her attorney, Tonda Curry, said last month that Richardson was ready to admit her role in sending toxic letters to Obama, Bloomberg and the head of Bloomberg's pro-gun control group.

Prosecutors say that before Richardson was arrested in June, she tried to frame her now-estranged husband for mailing the letters containing ricin, a powdery substance that can cause respiratory failure if inhaled.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-woman-admit-sending-ricin-obama-21157746

22 replies

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Highlight:

Texas Woman Admits to Sending Ricin to Obama (Original Post) Eugene Dec 2013 OP

I trust justice will be... JimboBillyBubbaBob Dec 2013 #1

Will she be tried on the Bloomberg crimes as well? MyNameGoesHere Dec 2013 #2

Texas?!? marsis Dec 2013 #3

Yes Texas, the state where intelligent design mdbl Dec 2013 #18

18 years for trying to murder the President of the United States? geomon666 Dec 2013 #4

umm... this article riversedge Dec 2013 #8

HOw fucked up do you have to be.. to send this shit to PBO and Bloomberg and Cha Dec 2013 #11

Sounds like her primary motivation was hatred of her ex-husband mainer Dec 2013 #5

seems this is how they traced the letters... riversedge Dec 2013 #6

good. thanks for that, riversedge Cha Dec 2013 #12

When baggers watch too much Breaking Bad anti partisan Dec 2013 #7

One might have thought her preferred WMD would be a gun, not ricin. n/t freshwest Dec 2013 #9

She's a coward.. sneaking it through the mail like a deranged brainwashed teabagger.. Cha Dec 2013 #13

Yep, I'll bet she didn't vote for Obama, either. Brainwashing works! n/t freshwest Dec 2013 #14

Ya think! Cha Dec 2013 #17

You betcha! (Funny when they said it on Stargate SG-1, but Palin stole it) freshwest Dec 2013 #20

Weapon of mass distraction. This woman is pathetic but not intentionally criminal. marble falls Dec 2013 #10

pathetic but not intentionally criminal.. frylock Dec 2013 #15

I guess you need to be here in Texas where the coverage of this was almost gleeful. The husband..... marble falls Dec 2013 #16

?? quakerboy Dec 2013 #22

& where did she get it? n/t wildbilln864 Dec 2013 #19

I remember when this came to light, and gun control advocates were gleefully cackling.. X_Digger Dec 2013 #21

JimboBillyBubbaBob

(1,389 posts)

1. I trust justice will be...

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:18 PM

Dec 2013

...swift and appropriate.

MyNameGoesHere

(7,638 posts)

2. Will she be tried on the Bloomberg crimes as well?

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:22 PM

Dec 2013

18 years is not enough. Let's tack on about 20 more. At least.

marsis

(301 posts)

3. Texas?!?

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:28 PM

Dec 2013

Who'd a thunk it.

mdbl

(4,976 posts)

18. Yes Texas, the state where intelligent design

Reply to marsis (Reply #3)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 07:07 PM

Dec 2013

is considered a science.

geomon666

(7,512 posts)

4. 18 years for trying to murder the President of the United States?

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:31 PM

Dec 2013

And then mayor of New York City, not to mention lying to the cops and federal agents and all the laws she broke by mailing poison. Just...wow.

riversedge

(70,310 posts)

8. umm... this article

Reply to geomon666 (Reply #4)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:47 PM

Dec 2013

says, she faced up to 15 years. She got more with a plea bargain. I am sure I do not know all the facts of the sentencing.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/24/21592577-texas-actress-has-plea-deal-over-ricin-letters-sent-to-obama-bloomberg?lite

....The New Boston, Texas, woman is charged with one count of making a threat against the president of the United States and two counts of mailing threatening communications. She faces up to five years in prison on each count if convicted.

The letters read, in part: "You will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. Anyone wants to come to my house will get shot in the face," according to court documents.

Cha

(297,715 posts)

11. HOw fucked up do you have to be.. to send this shit to PBO and Bloomberg and

Reply to riversedge (Reply #8)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 05:59 PM

Dec 2013

try and frame your estranged husband!

mainer

(12,029 posts)

5. Sounds like her primary motivation was hatred of her ex-husband

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:34 PM

Dec 2013

and using Obama and Bloomberg as targets may have been a secondary motivation.

riversedge

(70,310 posts)

6. seems this is how they traced the letters...

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Dec 10, 2013, 03:38 PM

Dec 2013

Yes, I know, it is wiki but sound ok.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_Richardson

....A criminal complaint filed on June 7 revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigations had used Mail Isolation Control and Tracking (MICT), a previously undisclosed mass surveillance program run by the U.S. Postal Service, to narrow its investigation to Richardson.[28]