TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — An Ohio man is facing charges after allegedly leaving threatening voicemails for an election official with the Arizona Secretary of State's office.
According to court documents, 44-year-old Joshua Russell left three messages for the election official, whose name was not released through the Justice Department.
The indictment alleges the messages were left around Aug. 2, Sept. 9 and Nov. 15. In the messages, Russel refers to the election official as a "traitor," a "terrorist" and includes language that implies violent acts against the person, including "America’s coming for you, and you will pay with your life, you communist [expletive] traitor [expletive],” according to court documents.
In the final message, left after the general election had taken place, Russell is accused of leaving the following voicemail:
“This message is for communist, criminal, [name ommitted]. We will not endure your crimes on America another day. You’ve been busted, over and over again. We will not wait for you to be drugged through court. A war is coming for you. The entire nation is coming for you. And we will stop, at no end, until you are in the ground. You’re a traitor to this nation. You’re a [expletive] piece of [expletive] communist, and you just signed your own death warrant. Get your affairs in order, cause, your days are very short.”
A federal grand jury in Phoenix charged Russell on Wednesday with three counts of making a threatening interstate communication and three counts of making a threatening interstate telephone call.
If convicted, he will face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of 'making a threatening interstate communication' and two years in prison for each count of 'making a threatening interstate telephone call.'
The FBI Phoenix Field Office is investigating the case, with the assistance of the FBI Cleveland resident agency in Mansfield.
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
