WASHINGTON (AP) — A Texas man who was the first arrest by a Justice Department task force that investigates threats to election workers has been sentenced to two years in prison over posts made following the 2020 election, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Chad Christopher Stark, 55, was accused of posting threatening messages on Craigslist about killing government officials in Georgia.
“Christopher Stark threatened the lives of multiple election workers in an attempt to prevent them from doing their job,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
Political Cartoons View All 1273 ImagesStark’s arrest was the first by the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, which was launched in 2021 amid a rising tide of violent threats against people who count and secure the vote.
The threats followed former President Donald Trump making repeated unproven claims that election fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election.
Persons:
—, Chad Christopher Stark, Stark, “ Christopher Stark, Christopher Wray, ”, Donald Trump
Organizations:
WASHINGTON, Justice Department, Justice, Force
Locations:
Texas, Georgia, Austin