A special justice department unit created to combat threats against election officials made its first arrest on Friday after a man allegedly posted threats online against Georgia election workers.
Chad Stark, a 54-year-old resident of Texas, was arrested by law enforcement after officials alleged he posted a message on Craigslist on 5 January 2021 saying that he wanted “Georgia Patriots” to kill several election officials.
“Georgia Patriots it’s time for us to take back our state from these Lawless treasonous traitors. It’s time to invoke our Second Amendment right it’s time to put a bullet in the treasonous Chinese [Official A]. Then we work our way down to [Official B] the local and federal corrupt judges,” read the message.
“It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force we can no longer wait on the corrupt law enforcement in the corrupt courts.”
Stark was charged with one count of communicating interstate threats, which has a maximum sentence of five years in prison. He is expected to make his first appearance in an Austin, Texas, court on Friday afternoon.
Stark’s arrest marks the first criminal case brought by the interagency election threats taskforce. The unit was created in June 2021 under the Biden administration to help address a rise in threats to election workers following the 2020 presidential election.
“The justice department has a responsibility not only to protect the right to vote, but also to protect those who administer our voting systems from violence and illegal threats of violence,” said the attorney general, Merrick Garland.