An Iowa man has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for making death threats against Arizona’s former attorney general and a Maricopa County election official related to the 2020 election, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on Tuesday.
In September 2021, Mr. Rissi allegedly left a threatening voicemail directed at Clint Hickman, an official from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, in which he reportedly used the term “lynch” and employed derogatory language to demean the official.
Another incident outlined in the court documents points to December 2021, when Mr. Rissi sent a second threatening voicemail, this time directed at the then-Attorney General of Arizona Mark Brnovich. The voicemail reportedly contained language suggesting harm and implied a threat of violence against Mr. Brnovich.
Mr. Rissi was quoted as saying: “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.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the DOJ’s Criminal Division welcomed the two-and-a-half-year sentence Mr. Rissi received.
“This sentence makes clear that individuals who illegally threaten election officials and others associated with the electoral process will face meaningful penalties,” Ms. Argentieri said. ”The Justice Department will diligently investigate and prosecute attempts to illegally threaten, intimidate, and coerce the individuals administering the nation’s free and fair elections.”
The content of both voicemails indicated that Mr. Rissi’s threats were rooted in his belief in election fraud in the 2020 election, with a particular focus on the election results in Arizona.
Mr. Rissi had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sending a threatening interstate communication, underscoring the severity of the charges he faced.
The development comes as part of the DOJ’s ongoing efforts to address threats of violence against election workers across the nation, a concern that led to the establishment of the Election Threats Task Force. The task force was announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in June 2021.
The Election Threats Task Force has spearheaded the DOJ’s initiatives to tackle instances of violence directed at election workers and to guarantee that all individuals engaged in election-related roles—regardless of whether they are elected, appointed, or volunteering—can carry out their responsibilities without being subjected to threats or intimidation.
U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona described threats against election workers as a weaponization of election protests, which he said “threaten our civility and our democracy.”
The 2020 presidential election results were roundly disputed by former President Donald Trump, his allies, and supporters.
