Alabama man admits to threatening Arizona election workers

Brian Ogstad on Thursday pleaded guilty to one charge of making an interstate threat. He threatenedto kill Arizona election workers following the 2022 midterm congressional elections in the state, according the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors had initially charged him with five counts of making interstate threats against the election workers.

What did Ogstad do, exactly? For a couple days following the elections, Ogstad sent messages to a social media account run by Arizona election officials threatening to kill them, the DOJ said. He reportedly encouraged the officials not to come to his place of business, or send their children to schools attended by his children. He also sent messages saying the workers were dead, and that they would be executed for their crimes, according to the DOJ.

What happens next? A federal judge will sentence Ogstad on Oct. 21, the DOJ said. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison but the judge will determine his exact penalty at the sentencing hearing after considering sentencing guidelines and other factors.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Muncy’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the efforts that election workers make to hear every voice when it comes to how to count votes accurately.