Shannon Richardson Sentenced to Federal Prison for Ricin Letters to President Obama In December 2013, actress and mother of 6 Shannon Richardson pleaded guilty to federal charges for sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As part of a plea deal, the 36-year-old actress was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the ricin letters. She pleaded guilty to one count of developing, producing, possessing and transferring a biological agent for use as a weapon. Richardson allegedly purchased … [Read more...]