PHOENIX — A day after Maricopa County officials certified the results of the 2022 election, an official with the Maricopa County Recorder's Office received a concerning voicemail on their personal cellphone, federal prosecutors said.
“Run, [expletive].”
Another voicemail left a minute later said: “You wanna cheat our elections? You wanna screw Americans out of true votes? We’re coming, [expletive]. You’d better [expletive] hide,” according to a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday.
A San Diego man was arrested Thursday on interstate threat charges related to the voicemails. William Hyde, 52, is scheduled to make his first court appearance in San Diego on Friday.
“Election integrity starts with protecting those we entrust to administer elections,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona. “We appreciate the admirable efforts of the Recorder’s Office and Elections Department in Maricopa County to efficiently register Arizonans as eligible voters, and to accurately and transparently tabulate their votes.”
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
“Intimidation of election officials strikes at the very heart of our democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “Even just one case can have a ripple effect. This office will aggressively prosecute any attempt to intimidate, threaten, or frighten election officials as they engage in these critical duties.”
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