DOJ release (edited)
08/31/23
An Iowa man was sentenced Monday to two and a half years in prison for sending threatening communications to an election official on the Maricopa County Arizona Board of Supervisors and to the then-Attorney General of Arizona.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, 64-year-old Mark Rissi of Hiawatha left voicemails for the two, threatening to lynch them.
Court documents indicated that on September 27th, 2021, Rissi left a voicemail for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors election official Clint Hickman that said, “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.”
On December 8th of the same year, Rissi left a voicemail for then-Attorney General of Arizona Mark Brnovich that claimed he and his extended family were the victim of a crime, that being the theft of the 2020 election. He went on to say, “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.”
Rissi pleaded guilty to two counts of sending a threatening interstate communication.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said, “This sentence makes clear that individuals who illegally threaten election officials and others associated with the electoral process will face meaningful penalties. 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.”