Lucy Richards, 57, of Tampa was charged with four counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. The indictment was announced Wednesday by Wilfredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami Field Office.
According to court records, Richards made a series of death threats on Jan. 10, 2016, to a parent of one of the children killed in the shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012. The parent resides in South Florida.
Officials said that Richards believes that the school shooting was a hoax and never happened, which motivated her to make the threats.
Richards was arrested Monday and made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Pizzo in the Middle District of Florida. She is scheduled for an initial appearance in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 19.
If convicted, each count carries a maximum term of five years in prison, officials said.
Ferrer commended the investigative work of the FBI and thanked the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida for their assistance. The case is being prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen E. Gilbert.
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