Texas man sentenced 2 years in prison for threatening Georgia election workers after 2020 election

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — A Texas man who was the first arrest by a Justice Department task force investigating threats against election workers has been sentenced to two years in prison for posts held after 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. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to communicating interstate threats.

Prosecutors say Stark, who is from the Austin suburb, urged Georgia residents on social media to “form militias” and called for the shooting of several unnamed officials and judges. The posts were posted on January 5, 2021, the day before Congress was set to certify the Electoral College votes.

“Christopher Stark threatened the lives of multiple election workers in an attempt to prevent them from doing their jobs,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to protecting America’s elections from efforts to undermine their integrity.”

A federal public defender for Stark did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Stark’s arrest was the first by the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which was launched in 2021 amid a growing wave of violent threats against people counting and securing votes. The threats followed former President Donald Trump repeatedly making unproven claims that election fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election.