An Iowa man has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for leaving threatening voicemails on the phone of an election official on the Maricopa County Arizona Board of Supervisors and to the then-Attorney General of Arizona.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Mark A. Rissi, 64, of Hiawatha, Iowa, left the following message around Sept. 27, 2021, in the voicemail system of Clint Hickman, an election official with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors: “Hello Mr. Hickman, I am glad that you are standing up for democracy and want to place your hand on the Bible and say that the election was honest and fair. I really appreciate that. When we come to lynch your stupid lying Commie [expletive], you’ll remember that you lied on the [expletive] Bible, you piece of [expletive]. You’re gonna die, you piece of [expletive]. We’re going to hang you. We’re going to hang you.”
Then, around Dec. 8, 2021, Mr. Rissi left another message via voicemail for then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich: “This message is for Attorney General Mark Brnovich . . . . I’m a victim of a crime. My family is a victim of a crime. My extended family is a victim of a crime. That crime was the theft of the 2020 election. The election that was fraudulent across the state of Arizona, that the Attorney General knows was fraudulent, that the Attorney General has images of the conspirators deleting election fraud data from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors computer system. Do your job, Brnovich, or you will hang with those [expletive] in the end. We will see to it. Torches and pitchforks. That’s your future, [expletive]. Do your job.”
Mr. Rissi pleaded guilty to two counts of sending a threatening interstate communication, the statement said.
“Those who weaponize election protests threaten our civility and our democracy,” U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona said in a statement. “Thanks to our partners with the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force and the FBI for ensuring accountability.”
The FBI Phoenix Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI Omaha Field Office, Cedar Rapids Resident Agency.
Election Threats Task Force
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in June 2021, “the task force has led the Department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers – whether elected, appointed, or volunteer – are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation,” the statement said.The task force works with “the election community,” and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. The task force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide.
According to its website, to date, the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force has charged 14 cases involving threats against “the election community” and it has seen nine convictions.
Chad Christopher Stark, 55, of Leander, Texas, posted a message to Craigslist around Jan. 5, 2021, titled, “Georgia Patriots, it’s time to kill [Official A] the Chinese agent - $10,000.” The message threatened to put a bullet in the head of several Georgia public officials the Department of Justice did not name. Stark pleaded guilty
Joshua Russell, 44, of Bucyrus, Ohio, left a voicemail around Aug. 2, 2022, with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office: “This message is for traitor [Victim-1’s full name]. You’ve drug your feet, you’ve done nothing, to protect our election for 2020. You’re committing election fraud, you’re starting to do it again, from day one. You’re the enemy of the United States, you’re a traitor to this country, and you better put your sh[inaudible], your [expletive] affairs in order, ’cause your days [inaudible] are extremely numbered. America’s coming for you, and you will pay with your life, you communist [expletive] traitor [expletive].” Mr. Russell left another message in Nov. 2022. He pleaded guilty.
Texas man Frederick Francis Goltz, 52, suggested a “mass shooting of poll workers” and threatened two Maricopa County officials and their children, according to the Department of Justice, by posting on the social media platform Gab. Mr. Goltz was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, the Department of Justice urges citizens to “Contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the “Election Crimes Coordinator.”
