A Lexington woman who has threatened to harm numerous presidents and politicians was sentenced Friday to 21/2 years in prison for threatening to kill U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Susan Mary Collins, 50, pleaded guilty earlier this year to mailing a threatening letter in September, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to Collins' plea agreement, McConnell, R-Ky., perceived her letter "as a genuine threat that could cause him harm."

Collins, who suffers from depression and other medical and psychiatric problems, has served several prison or probationary terms for previous threats to kill several presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Collins spoke with the Herald-Leader about her condition in 2010. She said she never intended to follow through with her threats; Collins said she wrote the letters with hopes she would be sent to prison.

"It was the easiest way to get myself thrown into prison without having to hurt anybody or really do anything," she said at the time.

Collins said she had suicidal tendencies, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. The structure of prison helped her cope with her conditions, she said.

Collins said in November 2010 that she was seeing a good psychiatrist and was staying at the Catholic Action Center. She said she was confident she was on the road to recovery.

Under federal guidelines, Collins has to serve at least 85 percent of her latest sentence.

Josh Kegley: (859) 231-3197. Twitter: @HLpublicsafety.