Actress Shannon Richardson has been indicted in connection with ricin letters sent to President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Richardson allegedly mailed the letters last month with a note that read, “What’s in this letter is nothing compared to what I’ve got planned for you.”
A grand jury indictment was filed for Richardson in the Eastern District Court of Texas on Thursday. The actress initially alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigations that her husband had sent the letters .
However, investigators allege they found evidence that Richardson was the one who sent the letters. Her husband, Army veteran Nathaniel Richardson, filed for divorce earlier in June .
Shannon Richardson is a former Dallas beauty queen. She has had minor roles in popular shows like The Vampire Diaries , The Walking Dead , and All My Children . She was arrested on June 7.
The ricin letters claimed to have been written by a man who once served in the US Army. The author added in the letter that they are married, have children, and ultimately blame the president for not being able to retire from the service. The letter goes on to say, “[I will] make sure you won’t be runnin’ this country in the ground any further.”
Obama, and Bloomberg have both pushed for stricter gun control laws . Richardson was charged with one count of threatening the president and two counts of mailing a threatening communication. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years. Richardon’s lawyer, Tonda Curry, added that it is possible prosecutors will also charge the actress with manufacturing or possessing a biological agent.
Curry added that her client has plead not guilty. She went on to say, “I’m hopeful the counter-terrorism task force wouldn’t even approve that charge, because it is clear that whatever was done was not done for the purpose of hurting the president, the mayor or anyone else.”
It is not yet clear when Shannon Richardson will make her next court appearance.