TV Actress Arrested for Sending Ricin Letters

There are perhaps worse ways to lash out at your estranged husband than to threaten the life of the president, but none come immediately to mind. This afternoon, the FBI arrested Shannon Rogers Guess Richardson for sending ricin-tainted letters to Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the head of Bloomberg's gun group. Richardson's husband, Nathaniel, is apparently doing just fine.

Attention turned to Richardson when she called the FBI and told them that she suspected Nathaniel of sending the letters, which were received at the end of last month. (This is also worth noting: There are probably worse ways to draw attention to your illegal activity than to tell the FBI that you think someone in your house did it, but none come immediately to mind.) The FBI investigated and determined that Richardson was the most likely suspect. NBC News reported on the arrest in New Boston, Texas today, noting that the letters emphasized the recipients' opposition to new gun legislation.

In a statement to E! News on Monday, Richardson indicated that she was innocent.

I would not put my unborn child or other children in danger just to 'frame' someone. He simply needed someone to blame for what he has done and I was the obvious person for him to blame. Most of what is being reported in this case is absolutely inaccurate. That's all I can say.

Given the recent history of ricin-letter investigations, it's worth giving Richardson the benefit of the doubt. In April, authorities arrested-and-then-unarrested Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis for similarly sending letters to the president. James Everett Dutschke was indicted for the crime last week, bringing the total number of names involved in the arrested suspects in these cases to ten.

If you're curious why E! News cared about a random arrest in Texas, the answer lies in Richardson's career. Her