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John Pollard sent threatening text messages to the political party official on Friday, Sept. 6, according to the USDOJ.
Pollard was indicted for the crime and arrested on Monday, Oct. 21, federal authorities said.
The official with the unnamed state political party had previously posted online that they were recruiting volunteers to help observe at the polls on Election Day, according to the indictment. This posting included the official's phone number.
Pollard allegedly sent the official a text message claiming that he was interested in being a poll watcher, as explained in the indictment. He used the official's first name in the text.
Then Pollard texted three threats, according to authorities:
- “I will KILL YOU IF YOU DON’T ANSWER ME!”
- “Your days are numbered, B****!”
- “GONNA F***ING FIND YOU AND SKIN YOU ALIVE AND USE YOUR SKIN FOR F***ING TOILET PAPER, YOU F***ING KKK**T!”
Pollard was charged with one count of Transmitting Interstate Threats, the Department of Justice said. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office is investigating the case.
This case falls under the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, which was launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in June 2021.
The task force leads the effort to address threats of violence against election workers and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation, according to the Department of Justice.
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