Iowa Man Pleads Guilty in Arizona Election Threats Case
. The man threatened to kill the officials if they didn't "stop the steal."
PHOENIX, Ariz. (AP) - An Iowan man pleaded guilty to threatening Arizona officials with messages that made discredited claims of fraud during the 2020 elections.
Mark Rissi, 64, of Hiawatha is accused by federal prosecutors of leaving voicemails for Republican Mark Brnovich and Arizona Attorney-General Clint Hickman.
Rissi has pleaded guilty on two counts of making an interstate threat communication. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June.
Prosecutors claim that Rissi left a message for Hickman on Sept. 27, 2021. This was three days after Cyber Ninjas, a technology company, released a report alleging widespread election irregularities in Maricopa County. This includes the Phoenix region. The report was ordered by Republican state Senate leaders. Experts say it is riddled with bias, errors and flawed methodologies.
Rissi allegedly left a second message for Brnovich, telling him to "do your work" and threatening violence, more than two months after the first. Brnovich had been under pressure by election deniers to accuse people of election fraud.
At least two other people have been charged by the Justice Department with threatening officials at Arizona's election, where former President Donald Trump supporters are angry over his defeat.
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