A former elementary school teacher has pleaded guilty to three counts of making biological agents and toxin hoaxes, after mailing threats and a suspicious white powder to staff members at several Florida-based elementary schools where she previously worked.
According to the Department of Justice, Maria Bassi Lauro, 66, sent the letters to four schools from which she had “effectively been fired for poor performance,” in 2018.
The first two letters, delivered to Citrus Ridge Academy and Groveland Elementary School between August and September of 2018, were addressed to administrators at the schools. Both letters contained a suspicious white powder and a simple note with a variation of the message, “your punishment for being a fat asshole.”
The third letter, delivered to Four Corners Charter School only days after the second letter, was addressed to a teacher instead of an administrator, but also contained a suspicious white powder, and a note calling the recipient a “fat ugly asshole.” Months later, Lauro mailed a fourth and final letter to Laurel Elementary, addressed to an administrator. It contained a blank piece of paper and blue powder, instead of white.
Each recipient, according to the DOJ, had a role in evaluating Lauro’s performance as a teacher or played a role in the decision to effectively fire her from her job.
According to the Department of Justice:
Ultimately, the FBI determined that each of the mailings contained sodium bicarbonate, which is more commonly known as baking soda. In addition, the FBI found the defendant’s DNA and/or fingerprints on the mailings she had sent to the Citrus Ridge Academy, Groveland Elementary, and Four Corners Charter School.
The defendant sent each of the above-described mailings because she was upset with each victim and school. In addition, the defendant sent the mailings with the intent to threaten and cause each victim to believe that he or she had been exposed to a deadly biological toxin.
Lauro faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison. It’s not clear when she will be sentenced.
Over the last decade, a number of individuals have been arrested for attempted poisonings on public officials. In September, a Canadian woman was arrested for allegedly sending ricin to former President Donald Trump when he was still in office. Additionally, according to The Associated Press:
A Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. The letters were intercepted, and no one was hurt.
In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials.
In New York state, several middle schools have recently received letters with suspicious white powder through the mail. In each instance, the substance in the letter was determined to be non-lethal, and according to ABC News, “It appears that the motive of the sender is to cause disruption and alarm,” the New York City Police Department said in a statement.