Hatboro Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Ricin-Laced Card

A Hatboro man on Monday pleaded guilty to charges that he tried to kill his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend by sending him a scratch-and-sniff card laced with the deadly toxin ricin.

Nicholas Helman, 19, pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the March incident in which authorities said he sent the ricin-laced greeting card to a Warminster man.

Police intercepted the card before the substance came into contact with its intended victim.

Helman’s sentencing was deferred but he could face up to 40 years in prison for the charges, which include attempted murder, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment, the Intelligencer reported.

Helman was arrested after he told a coworker at Target in Warrington about his plot. That coworker contacted authorities, who then intercepted the envelope, according to NBC News. The powder inside tested positive for ricin.

Shortly after Helman’s arrest, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler told the Philadelphia Inquirer the ricin dose was “very potent.”

Helman is now facing additional charges that he threatened to harm people involved in his case, including prosecutors and witnesses, 6ABC reported.