Washington (AP) — The sender of a letter containing the poison ricin to then-U.S. President Donald Trump has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison. After her release, she will continue to be under judicial supervision, the US Department of Justice said.
The 55-year-old, who has dual Canadian and French nationality, admitted to making ricin at her home in Quebec, Canada, in September 2020. She then sent letters containing the poison to the White House and officials of law enforcement in the US state of Texas.
According to the department, the woman had been in police custody in Texas for several weeks in 2019. She allegedly accused law enforcement.
letter had been intercepted
She also denounced Trump on social media, he said. In the letter to the president at the time, she asked the Republican to withdraw his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election. The letter to Trump was later intercepted. The jail term the woman has now been sentenced to is part of a deal with the prosecution that a court has now approved.
Letters containing highly toxic ricin had already been sent in 2013 to President Barack Obama and then to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Ricin can be deadly even in small amounts.
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