Ricin Letters: Texas Woman Nabbed in Obama Threat Case

TEXARKANA, Texas – A 35-year-old New Boston, Texas woman is facing a decade behind bars after being arrested for a brazen attempt to terrorize the nation’s leadership. Shannon Richardson, also known as Shannon Guess and Shannon Rogers, was taken into custody today on federal charges stemming from the mailing of letters containing the deadly toxin ricin.

U.S. Attorney John M. Bales and FBI Special Agent in Charge Diego Rodriguez announced the arrest, detailing how Richardson allegedly mailed three letters on May 20, 2013. The intended recipients were chillingly high-profile: President Barack Obama, Mark Glaze in Washington, D.C., and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The letters, investigators say, weren’t simply missives of discontent; they were laced with a substance capable of causing serious harm, even death.

Richardson was apprehended in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, and made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven in Texarkana this afternoon. The criminal complaint directly charges her with mailing a threatening communication to the President of the United States – a charge that carries a hefty penalty. The feds aren’t messing around with this one.

The investigation, a multi-agency effort, involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Secret Service. Local law enforcement also pitched in, with the New Boston Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Shreveport, Louisiana Police Department all contributing to the probe. It’s a wide net cast, showing the seriousness with which authorities are treating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys D. Ryan Locker, Frank Coan, and Brit Featherston are handling the prosecution. They’ll be tasked with building a case that proves Richardson’s intent and connection to the dangerous mailings. If convicted, Richardson faces up to 10 years in federal prison – a significant stretch that underscores the severity of the alleged crime.

It’s crucial to remember, as the Department of Justice rightly points out, that an arrest is not a conviction. Shannon Richardson is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But the evidence, if the allegations hold true, paints a disturbing picture of a woman willing to use a deadly toxin to make a point, and the feds intend to see justice served. This case is far from closed.