By Margery A. Beck/AP

A Nebraska man was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in jail for making on-line threats in opposition to Colorado’s prime elections official, one of many first instances introduced by a federal process pressure dedicated to defending elections employees nationwide from rising threats.

The sentence got here the identical day an Iowa man was arrested for allegedly leaving voicemail threats for an Arizona official and the Arizona’s Lawyer Normal’s Workplace.

In Nebraska, Travis Ford was sentenced in U.S. District Courtroom in Lincoln, the place he lives. He pleaded responsible earlier this 12 months to sending threats to Secretary of State Jena Griswold on social media. It was the primary responsible plea obtained by the U.S. Justice Division’s Election Threats Activity Power, launched final 12 months after the 2020 presidential contest amid considerations concerning the potential impact on democracy of threats in opposition to election officers and employees.

A nationwide advocate for elections safety, Griswold has acquired 1000’s of threats over her insistence the 2020 election was safe regardless of false claims by former President Donald Trump it was stolen.

Ford should report back to a federal jail Jan. 11 and later full a 12 months of post-prison supervision.

Ford instructed the court docket Thursday he accepts duty for his actions and understands they have been mistaken. “I am ashamed, and I am embarrassed for not solely placing myself however my household by means of this,” he mentioned.

Griswold mentioned violent threats can not grow to be an accepted norm.

“Individuals who threaten election officers have to be held accountable,” her assertion mentioned. “Threats are getting used to attempt to intimidate election officers from doing their jobs in an effort to destabilize democracy.

Lawyer Normal Merrick Garland additionally launched a press release declaring, “This sentence makes clear that those that illegally threaten election employees needs to be ready to face significant penalties.”

Federal prosecutors had sought a two-year jail sentence, citing “a real want for common deterrence right here.” Investigators found Ford made the threats quite a few instances final 12 months over an Instagram account began by his brother to which Ford gained entry. Prosecutors additionally mentioned Ford made loss of life threats in opposition to President Joe Biden and an unspecified expertise firm CEO. Ford was not charged for these allegations.

His legal professional, Jason Troia, had sought a shorter sentence. He mentioned Ford had a positive employment document, the threats have been out of character and that Ford made them beneath duress as a result of COVID-19 vaccine mandates fueled his antigovernment sentiment.

U.S. District Decide John M. Gerrard rejected these pleas, saying there’s “nothing particular” about being steadily employed and noting Ford made 18 critical threats over three months. He known as arguments over vaccine mandates “full nonsense.”

Prosecutors mentioned Ford despatched Griswold a sequence of threatening messages over Instagram in August. One learn, “Do you are feeling secure? You shouldn’t.” One other learn: “Your safety element is way too skinny and incompetent to guard you. This world is unpredictable today … something can occur to anybody.”

Federal officers mentioned there was little to clarify why Ford made such threats, noting he has a loving relationship along with his household and fiancé, is in good well being and earned a superb dwelling.

“Though the federal government doesn’t presently have purpose to consider that defendant will commit comparable offenses right here sooner or later, threats to elections employees throughout the nation are an ongoing and really significant issue,” prosecutors mentioned.

They added one current survey discovered one in six election officers have skilled threats due to their job, and 77 p.c mentioned they really feel the quantity of threats has elevated lately.

The choose mentioned he diminished Ford’s sentence to 18 months solely as a result of he has no prison historical past and his regret seems real.

Additionally Thursday, the Justice Division introduced the arrest of Mark Rissi, 64, of Hiawatha, Iowa, on suspicion of leaving a voicemail in September 2021 for Republican Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman. Prosecutors say Rissi’s message threatened to lynch Hickman.

“This wasn’t a prank name. This wasn’t protected speech. This was a critical menace to me and my household,” Hickman mentioned Thursday in a press release, which known as out different Arizona leaders for what he known as their silence as election officers endured two years of threats.

Prosecutors say Rissi left a voicemail weeks later with the Arizona Lawyer Normal claiming the 2020 common election in Arizona was fraudulent and telling prosecutors, “Do your job … or you’ll hold with these (expletive) in the long run. We’ll see to it. Torches and pitchforks. That’s your future.”

Election officers in Arizona and different battleground states have been subjected to threats and intimidation by some Trump supporters because the 2020 election.

Rissi — who was to look in an Iowa federal court docket Thursday — faces as much as 5 years in jail if convicted of every of two counts of constructing a threatening interstate communication and as much as two years for a single rely of constructing a threatening phone name.

Rissi’s case didn’t seem in on-line court docket data Thursday, and it wasn’t clear whether or not he but had an legal professional.