Man From Ohio Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Threatening Arizona Election Official Katie Hobbs
A significant development took place in the realm of election security on Monday, as a man who made threatening communications against then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison. The announcement was made during a press conference by the Department of Justice, focusing on threats against state election workers.
Joshua Russell, a resident of Ohio, admitted to making multiple death threats towards Hobbs via voicemails. He labeled her as a “traitor” and issued chilling warnings that her days were “extremely numbered.” Russell pleaded guilty to one count of making interstate threatening communications last summer.
Justice Department officials shared that a separate individual was sentenced to three and a half years in prison just two weeks prior for making a bomb threat against Hobbs in 2021. It is essential to note that Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, now serves as the Governor of Arizona.
John Keller, head of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, stated during the news conference that the task force, which was established in 2021, has charged approximately 20 individuals for engaging in election-related threats to date. There are currently seven active federal cases involving out-of-state individuals making threats in Arizona, a state infamous for harboring election conspiracy theories after the contentious 2020 elections.
Speaking at the news conference, US Attorney for Arizona Gary Restaino explained that there is a common thread among many of these cases: individuals, often driven by election denialism, announcing their intent to violently retaliate against those they believe have wronged them. These threats frequently involve an imagined arrest leading to executions for treason.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that threatening violence against the public servants who administer elections will not be tolerated. “The right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, depends on the ability of election workers and officials to perform their duties without fearing for their lives,” he stated. The Justice Department will continue to relentlessly investigate and prosecute individuals who threaten these public servants.
