A lady actor who appeared on TV shows including The Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries was indicted on Friday on federal charges of threatening the president of the United States and two other people, the US Department of Justice said.
Shannon Richardson (35) of New Boston, Texas, allegedly posted three letters containing toxic ricin on May 20, addressed to Barack Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Mark Glaze, head of a gun-control advocacy group.
She has been in custody since her arrest in early June in Mount Pleasant, Texas, authorities said.
The local newspaper, The Texarkana Gazette , reported online that Ms. Richardson is pregnant.
It cited a criminal complaint filed earlier this month as alleging that she had concocted the poison at the home she shared with her husband and four children, using castor beans ordered on the internet.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in federal prison on each charge.
Ms. Richardson had initially called the FBI to report that her husband might have sent the letters, but investigators concluded that she had sent the letters herself, according to earlier reports.
The letters sent to Mr. Obama and Mr. Bloomberg contained small amounts of ricin and espoused opposition to gun control and were discovered during routine mail screening. No one was injured.
The Texarkana Gazette has reported that Ms. Richardson’s husband, Nathan, filed for divorce the week she was arrested.
