A 59-year-old Alabama man is facing federal charges for threatening Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat related to the prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
A federal grand jury in Georgia indicted Arthur Ray Hanson II of Huntsville, Alabama, on charges for transmitting interstate threats against public officials, The Hill reported Monday.
The indictment, unsealed Monday, details charges that Hanson left threatening voicemails for Willis and Labat on Aug. 6.
Hanson allegedly made the calls just days before Willis indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants in a racketeering case. Willis accused the former president and his associates of engaging in a conspiracy to subvert the state's 2020 election results. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing in the case.
In the voicemails, Hanson is alleged to have directly threatened Willis, saying, "When you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you're alone, be looking over your shoulder," according to the indictment.
Prosecutors also accuse Hanson of threatening Labat in a separate message, responding to Labat's public comments about the possibility of Trump being photographed for a mugshot.
"If you think you gonna take a mug shot of my President Donald Trump and it's gonna be OK, you gonna find out that after you take that mugshot, some bad [expletive is] probably gonna happen to you," Hanson said, according to the indictment.
Hanson made his initial court appearance in Huntsville on Wednesday and is scheduled for arraignment on Nov. 13 in Atlanta. The court's docket does not list an attorney for Hanson. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
"Sending interstate threats to physically harm prosecutors and law enforcement officers is a vile act intended to interfere with the administration of justice and intimidate individuals who accept a solemn duty to protect and safeguard the rights of citizens," said Ryan Buchanan, the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia. "When someone threatens to harm public servants for doing their jobs to enforce our criminal laws, it potentially weakens the very foundation of our society."
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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