The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating “dozens” of reported threats against election workers, with 20 people charged so far, the department said on March 25.
Of those charged, 13 have been convicted. Ten have been sentenced, with seven receiving prison terms of over a year, said John Dixon Keller, head of the DOJ’s Election Threats Task Force.
The task force was formed in 2021 to respond to threats against election officials. Mr. Keller said the DOJ “will continue to vigorously pursue anyone who criminally threatens or targets the election community.”
“Death threats are not First Amendment-protected speech. Death threats and any threats of violence are condemnable criminal acts, and they will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” he added.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Gary Restaino, said there are seven federal cases involving out-of-state individuals who have threatened Arizona election officials.
“There’s a common denominator in many of these cases. Election denialists announcing an intent to violently punish those [who they] believe have wronged them, often with a threat of arrests leading to executions for treason,” Mr. Restaino told reporters.
According to court documents, between August and November 2022, Mr. Russell left voicemails for Ms. Hobbs calling her “a traitor to this country” and making explicit threats, telling her that her days “are extremely numbered.”
Mr. Russell pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of making a threatening interstate communication. He has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison, according to a DOJ press release.
Prosecutors said that sentences should reflect the seriousness of the crime and serve as a deterrent against anyone making similar threats.
“If you threaten violence against the public servants who administer our elections, there will be consequences,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“The right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, relies on the ability of election workers and election officials to perform their duties without fearing for their lives,” he added.
In a document written by Mr. Russell and submitted to the court, Mr. Russell described his situation at the time he made the threats, saying he was depressed and angry and that drug use fueled his isolation.
“All I did was hide in bed all day scrolling thru social media and political forums—looking at blogs or anything that could serve as an outlet for my pent-up anger combined with all the pain I was suppressing,” he wrote.
Mr. Russell also wrote an apology letter to Ms. Hobbs, saying that social media and news stories had become another addiction for him, but that he has since taken courses on anger management and substance abuse.
Earlier this month, a Massachusetts man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for making an online threat to bomb Ms. Hobbs’ office in February 2021 when she was still secretary of state.
