Washington Woman Pleads Guilty to Mailing Threatening Communications

POCATELLO—Linda Joyce Lakes, 54, of Medical Lake, Washington, pleaded guilty today in federal court to mailing a threatening communication, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement, Lakes began serving a state sentence at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center on February 4, 2009, and was released after serving her full sentence on September 21, 2012. While in custody, Lakes wrote six letters on various dates beginning in November 2010 containing threats to injure and kill an individual. Five of the letters were mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. All the letters were addressed to the same address in Washington State, although the name of the addressee varied.

During an interview with the FBI on July 27, 2012, Lakes admitted to writing and mailing the letters from the prison. On August 24, 2012, Lakes gave a Correctional Center staff member a letter she intended to hand-deliver to the recipient after she was released from prison. In the letter, Lakes admits knowing it was a federal offense to send threatening letters in the mail.

The charge of mailing a threatening communication is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Lakes is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.