Payam Javan: Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, a 56-year-old dual citizen of France and Canada, has been sentenced to 262 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich for her role in sending a dangerous homemade poison to former President Donald Trump. The sentencing, equivalent to nearly 22 years in custody, comes after Ferrier was found guilty of mailing ricin-laced letters to the White House and eight law enforcement officials in Texas in September 2020. She believed these officials were responsible for a prior jail stay she had in the United States.

The letters included threatening language, with Ferrier urging critics of the then-president to “please shoot Trump in the face.” Ferrier was arrested at the Peace Bridge Border Crossing in Buffalo, New York, where authorities discovered her in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Despite her guilty plea, she showed little remorse during her sentencing hearing.

Upon release, Ferrier will face a lifetime of supervised release, potentially involving arrangements with French or Canadian authorities. Notably, federal offenders sentenced after November 1, 1987, are ineligible for parole under Bureau of Prisons guidelines. Ferrier also faces deportation from the U.S. as part of her sentencing, which covers two counts related to prohibitions on biological weapons in separate criminal cases in the District of Columbia and Texas.