Toxic letter warned Trump not to seek re-election
Quebec woman appears in court on charges of threatening president Pascale Ferrier is accused of mailing a package containing ricin to the White House.
An envelope laced with a poisonous powder that was mailed to the White House also contained a letter with an ominous message for U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Give up and remove your application for this election,” it said.
The writer went on to say that if the powder — which turned out to be the deadly toxin ricin — didn’t work, “I’ll find (a) better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I’ll be able to come.” On Tuesday, the Quebec woman accused of sending the envelope made her first appearance in U.S. federal court in Buffalo, N.Y.
Pascale Ferrier, 53, faces a charge of making threats against the president of the United States. The court entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf.
Ferrier, who wore a tan jail jumpsuit and whose hands were cuffed, said little other than to acknowledge receiving a copy of the complaint and agreeing to a court-appointed attorney.
Court heard that prosecutors are seeking to keep Ferrier detained until trial because she poses a “serious risk of flight” and because the allegations involve a “crime of violence.”
Her public defender, meanwhile, requested an identity hearing to confirm that Ferrier is, in fact, the person named in the complaint and a preliminary hearing to establish whether probable cause exists for the charges. She is scheduled to return to court on Monday.
Authorities were notified Friday that a letter had been intercepted at a mail-sorting facility before it reached the White House and that it was found to contain a white powder, according to an affidavit filed by Jonathan Preston, an FBI special agent.
It later tested positive for ricin, which is derived from the seeds of the castor bean plant.
The letter stated: “I found a new name for you: ‘The Ugly Tyrant Clown’ I hope you like it. You ruin USA and lead them to disaster. I have US cousins, then I don’t want the next 4 years with you as president. Give up and remove your application for this election. So I made a ‘Special Gift’ for you to make a decision. This gift is in this letter. If it doesn’t work, I’ll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I’ll be able to come. Enjoy!”
The letter was signed “FREE REBEL SPIRIT.”
FBI field offices in Texas, meanwhile, were notified days earlier of six additional letters, similar to the one addressed to Trump, that had been sent to various individuals working at penitentiaries and detention centres in Texas.
Those letters also appeared to have originated from Canada, contained a powdery substance and used similar language to the letter sent to Trump. Four of the Texas letters contained fingerprints that matched the defendant’s, the affidavit alleges.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
Online records show that in March 2019, Pascale was booked into the main jail in Hidalgo County, Texas, on suspicion of unlawfully carrying a weapon and using a fake Texas driver’s licence.
District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. told The Canadian Press his office ended up not formally charging Ferrier with the alleged weapons offence because it didn’t think it would be possible to get a conviction. A charge of tampering with government records was dismissed in May 2019, in part because Ferrier was facing deportation.
It appears from Ferrier’s Facebook account that she set off for Canada from Texas in June 2019. Upon her return, she found work at a grocery store.
Luc Gagnon, the owner of the store, said she never discussed politics or her time in the U.S.
“She was a devoted employee, a hard worker.”
Records show Ferrier had previously filed for bankruptcy in 2018, declaring $248,642 in liabilities and $222,441 in assets. Her LinkedIn profile shows she has a background in web development.