A federal jury on Monday convicted a woman of mailing a threatening letter to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that contained white powder and a note claiming the substance was anthrax.
Suzanne Muscara, 37, of Burlington, Maine, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be sentenced at a later date.
Muscara sent the letter to Collins’ residence in Bangor in October 2018, days after the senator’s controversial vote in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI, the letter contained a fine white powder with a note stating “AnthRAX!!! HA HA HA!!!” It also included a drawing of a stick-figure face with the letter “X” for eyes and the word “You” written with an arrow pointing to it.
The letter was intercepted by postal screeners before it reached Collins’ home. FBI agents found a finger print on the envelope that matched Muscara’s right thumb print. The white powder tested negative for ricin and other toxic substances and was determined to be starch.
Prosecutors said Muscara “knowingly or willingly” sent the threatening letter to Collins. She argued that the letter wasn’t a threat and that she believed it would be intercepted by law enforcement before reaching Collins and wouldn’t be taken seriously.
An attorney for Muscara declined to comment for this story. Collins’ office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.