ATLANTA (CN) — A Texas man was arrested in the Austin area on Friday by the FBI on charges that he posted threatening messages directed at Georgia government officials last year.
Chad Stark, 54, of Leander, Texas, allegedly posted a message to Craigslist the day before the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, entitled, “Georgia Patriots it’s time to kill [Official A] the Chinese agent - $10,000.” The Justice Department did not name the state officials in its announcement of the charges.
"Georgia Patriots it’s time for us to take back our state from these Lawless treasonous traitors. It’s time to invoke our Second Amendment right it’s time to put a bullet in the treasonous Chinese [Official A]. Then we work our way down to [Official B] the local and federal corrupt judges," the post stated, according to prosecutors.
It continued: "It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force we can no longer wait on the corrupt law enforcement in the corrupt courts. If we want our country back we have to exterminate these people. One good loyal Patriot deer hunter in camo and a rifle can send a very clear message to these corrupt governors.. milita [sic] up Georgia it’s time to spill blood…. we need to pay a visit to [Official C] and her family as well and put a bullet her behind the ears."
The allegedly ended with a pledge to "make examples of traitors to our country."
Stark has been charged in the Northern District Court of Georgia with one count of communicating interstate threats. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. He was arrested Friday morning in Travis County, Texas, and is set to appear before a federal judge in Austin in the afternoon.
This is the first criminal charge brought forth by the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Launched in June 2021 by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, the task force was created to combat violent threats against election workers, which increased across the country after former President Donald Trump's false claims of the 2020 election being rigged, blaming Georgia election officials in particular.
Nearly one in three election officials in the U.S. reported feeling unsafe in their job, according to an April survey commissioned by the Brennan Center for Justice.
“The Justice Department has a responsibility not only to protect the right to vote, but also to protect those who administer our voting systems from violence and illegal threats of violence,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The department’s Election Threats Task Force, working with partners across the country, will hold accountable those who violate federal law by using violence or threatening violence to target election workers fulfilling their public duties.”
In just one week around the 2020 holiday season, nearly 150 voicemails were left for Richard Barron, the elections director of Fulton County, Georgia, containing threatening messages such as "you will be served lead." This came after Trump held a rally in Georgia and called out Barron in voicing his conspiracy theories about Democratic workers committing voter fraud.
According to a Reuters investigation last September, 102 threats of death or violence were received by more than 40 election officials, workers and their relatives in eight of the most contested battleground states in the 2020 presidential contest.
"The messages often included highly personal, sometimes sexualized threats of violence or death, not only to the officials themselves but also to their family members and their children," the investigation found.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement that Stark's arrest shows his agency's "commitment in our pursuit of justice against those who choose to threaten violence against anyone participating in our elections
“Election workers striving to protect our right to a fair and democratic process deserve nothing less than the utmost safety and assurance they can accomplish their roles without interference," Wray said. "The FBI will continue to focus on our mission of protecting these individuals and the important work they do, as well as every American’s right to vote.”
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