A Canadian woman was charged Tuesday with sending a ricin-laced letter to President Trump.
Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, 55, a computer programmer from Quebec, appeared in a Buffalo court Tuesday afternoon.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Schroeder Jr. entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf on charges of making threats against the president of the United States. If convicted, Ms. Ferrier could face up to five years in federal prison.
Ms. Ferrier requested a public defender, saying she could not afford a private lawyer.
Judge Schroeder ordered the defendant remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, ahead of a second court appearance next week. Prosecutors argued for detention ahead of the hearing, saying she was charged with a violent crime and is “a serious flight risk.”
“There is probable cause to believe that the defendant knowingly and willfully threatened to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm, upon the President of the United States,” an FBI special agent wrote in court papers.
Ms. Ferrier was arrested Monday trying to enter the U.S. from Canada at a border crossing in upstate New York.
She is accused of sending a ricin letter to Mr. Trump last week. Tests confirmed the presence of ricin on the letter.
The letter’s sender assailed Mr. Trump as an “ugly tyrant clown” and said if the ricin doesn’t work, they’ll find [a] better recipe for another poison or I might use my gun when I’ll be able to come,” according to court documents.
Prosecutors say at least six additional letters were discovered in Texas with similarities. The letters were mailed to employees at detention facilities in Texas, where, according to court documents, she was incarcerated last year.
Court records revealed that an individual named Pascale Ferrier was charged in March 2019 in Hidalgo County, Texas with using a fake driver’s license. The count was dismissed after she was detained for 20 days.
The letters included the same language and canceled stamps that indicated mailing from Canada. They also contained “a powdery substance,” which could be ricin.
All the letters, including the one addressed to Mr. Trump, were signed “Free Rebel Spirit.”
Investigators were able to pull fingerprints that matched Ms. Ferrier prosecutors said. The letters’ language also mirrored the defendant’s social media posts, including the words “ugly clown tyrant.”
U.S. and Canadian law enforcement worked together on the case.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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