A woman accused of mailing a threatening letter containing homemade ricin to then-President Donald Trump in 2020 pled guilty on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., federal court.
Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, a 55-year-old dual citizen of Canada and France, was also accused of mailing eight similar letters containing ricin to Texas law enforcement officials. The nine letters were sent in September 2020 and contained ricin made in her home in Quebec, Canada.
Ferrier’s letter to Trump included a personal note declaring, “You ruin (the) USA and lead them to disaster. I have US cousins, then I don’t want the next four years with you as President. Give up and remove your application for this election!”
Her letters also included references to a “special gift” and added that if it doesn’t work, “I will find a better recipe for another poison.”
She went on to mention that she had a gun.
Ferrier’s letter to the White House was screened in the Mail Sorting Facility on Sept. 18. Prosecutors reported that workers found a “white, powdery substance that later tested positive for ricin, a highly toxic material.”
The letter to Trump was signed “Free Rebel Spirit.” It was two days later when she was arrested.
The letters Ferrier sent to Texas were apparently inspired by her being detained in the state for several weeks in 2019. The plea agreement said that she sent the letters with ricin to officials she thought played a part in her incarceration.
Canadian Citizen Indicted in Brownsville for Sending Powder-Filled Envelopes to Local Authorities: Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, a Canadian citizen, has been indicted for prohibitions with respect to biological weapons and making threats via interst… https://t.co/H1dMz2hy7J
— FBI San Antonio (@FBISanAntonio) December 15, 2020
After mailing the letters from her Canadian home, Ferrier was detained while attempting to cross the border into the U.S. Authorities found a loaded gun, several other weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in her vehicle.
She admitted to officials at the border that she was wanted by the FBI for the mailings.
U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said in a statement through the Justice Department that “this woman did not succeed in her efforts to poison numerous public officials in our district.”
Hamdani, who leads the Southern District of Texas, added that her actions resulted in “fear and stress for many of these dedicated public servants.”
Ferrier faces sentencing on April 26 and could receive over 21 years in prison if her plea agreements are accepted.
