Individual receiving 3-year sentence for making threats against election officials, attributing motivations to extreme right-wing content.
A man who claimed that exposure to far-right extremist content led to his online threats against Democratic election officials in Colorado and Arizona was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday. U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews stated that penalties for "keyboard terrorism" should be severe enough to deter others, particularly due to the rising threats against public officials.
Judge Crews, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, emphasized that the public must not accept threats as the norm. Teak Ty Brockbank, 45, pleaded guilty in October to making threats between September 2021 and August 2022. He targeted Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (now governor), a Colorado judge overseeing his DUI case, and any federal agents who might visit his home.
In a statement, Griswold expressed concern over the propagation of conspiracy theories by the far-right, noting that they have led to threats and violence against election officials. Brockbank, dressed in a khaki jail uniform, expressed remorse for his "ugly posts" and asked to be sentenced to home detention instead of prison.
Federal prosecutors asked for a prison sentence of three years for Brockbank, the maximum recommended under sentencing guidelines. They argued that the threats continued even when Brockbank wasn't drinking. Brockbank's attorney described him as a "keyboard warrior" who spent time on platforms such as Gab and Rumble, sites that have been criticized for promoting far-right extremism.
The attorney highlighted that Brockbank was influenced by QAnon conspiracy theories and frequently consumed online content from Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser. However, Judge Crews dismissed the argument that Trump's administration's Justice Department sought a harsh sentence because of similarities to the extremist content that incited the Capitol attack on January 6.
Before announcing the sentence, Judge Crews read some of Brockbank's threats, including his suggestion that Griswold should "hang by the neck." Crews believed Brockbank's remorse to be genuine and urged him to remain committed to rejecting hate, even while serving his prison sentence.
Brockbank was prosecuted by a task force established under the Biden administration in 2021 to address the increase in threats against election officials. As of the time of writing, the Justice Department had not responded to a request for comment on whether this task force continues to operate. The unit was primarily managed by the Justice Department's public integrity section in Washington, which has seen a significant reduction in staff from over two dozen lawyers to just a few under the Trump administration.
- Judge Crews, a nominee of President Joe Biden, addressed the rise in threats against public officials, stating that penalties for online threats, or "keyboard terrorism," should be severe to deter others.
- Teak Ty Brockbank, who frequently consumed content from Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, and spent time on platforms known for promoting far-right extremism, was prosecuted by a task force established under the Biden administration.
- Despite Brockbank's request for home detention, Judge Crews sentenced him to three years in prison for his threats against Democratic election officials, noting that the public must not accept threats as the norm, particularly in the context of general news, politics, crime-and-justice, and local matters such as Seattle's weather.
