Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening to Kill Arizona Governor
An Ohio man, Joshua Russell, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for threatening to kill Katie Hobbs, who was the secretary of state in Arizona and running to be governor in 2022. Russell pleaded guilty to making an interstate threat in U.S. District Court in Arizona after leaving several death threats in voice messages with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office during the midterm election season.
Although Katie Hobbs was not named in court documents, a letter filed on Russell’s behalf was addressed to her. In the letter, Russell apologized to Hobbs and cited anger, drug, and alcohol abuse as factors in making the threats. He mentioned that social media and news reports fueled his depression, anxiety, and anger.
The Justice Department’s prosecution of Russell is part of a broader effort to address threats and intimidation against election officials following the 2020 presidential election. The surge in threats was fueled by conspiracy theories and lies claiming election fraud by former President Donald J. Trump.
Katie Hobbs received thousands of threats for certifying Arizona’s voting results in the 2020 election. Russell’s threats in 2022 included calling Hobbs a communist and accusing her of fraud in certifying Joe Biden’s victory. He warned of consequences if the midterm election results did not lead to her prosecution.
Investigators traced the threatening messages to a phone in Bucyrus, Ohio, belonging to Russell. The phone number used by Russell listed “death4pelosi@gmail.com” as a recovery email address, according to an F.B.I. agent’s statement of probable cause.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland reaffirmed the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting similar cases, stating, “If you threaten violence against the public servants who administer our elections, there will be consequences.”
