Poster

18 Years for Ricin letters

The Texas actress who admitted sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and then-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was sentenced to 18 years in prison Wednesday, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Shannon Guess Richardson, 36, also was ordered to pay $367,000 in restitution.
“Today’s sentencing brings an appropriate and just end to what is surely one of our most unusual, even bizarre cases,” John Bales, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, said in a statement.
In December, the actress pleaded guilty to possession of a toxin for use as a weapon, prosecutors said.
Though the charge carried a maximum penalty of life in prison, prosecutors said at the time that Richardson entered into a plea deal under which she would not serve more than 18 years.