(The Center Square) – Teak Ty Brockbank, 45, of Cortez, Colorado, pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting interstate threats last Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.
Brockbank made several online threats toward Colorado and Arizona election officials, a Colorado state judge, and federal law enforcement between September 2021 and July 2024.
For example, Brockbank posted on social media on September 22, 2021, “I live in Communist Colorado and this Crazed liberal [referring to Election Official-1] and many others in Communist Colorado needs to- No has to Hang she has to Hang by the neck till she is Dead Dead Dead. There will be accountability for these peoples actions in Communist Colorado and it won’t be judges and it won’t be weakmided cops that bring it!!! It will be Me it will be You it Will be every day people that understand that there life does not matter anymore with the future our country has laid out before it.”
Brockbank admitted in his plea agreement that he used that account and another account that posted threats.
A few of his other posts talked about putting people “to death” and shooting members of the government, a release said.
Brockbank faces sentencing on February 3, 2025.
Additionally, Brian Jerry Ogstad, 60, of Cullman, Alabama, received a 30-month prison sentence this week for sending threatening messages to Maricopa County, Arizona, election workers between August 2 and August 4, 2022.
Similarly, Richard Glenn Kantwill, 61, of Tampa, Florida, was charged for allegedly sending a threat to an election worker on February 9, 2024, adding to the pending charges he already has for threatening three political commentators in 2019 and 2020.
Plus, John Pollard, 62, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged this week for allegedly threatening to kill a representative of a Pennsylvania state political party who was recruiting official poll watchers last month.
“As we approach Election Day, the Justice Department’s warning remains clear: anyone who illegally threatens an election worker, official, or volunteer will face the consequences,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the release. “Over the past three and a half years, the Justice Department has been aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who threaten the public servants who administer our elections, and we will continue to do so in the weeks ahead. For our democracy to function, Americans who serve the public must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives.”
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco expressed a similar sentiment.
“Threats to election workers are threats to our democratic process,” Monaco said in the release. “No one should face violence or threats of violence simply for doing their job. The actions announced today make clear that we will not tolerate those who use or threaten violence in an effort to undermine our democratic institutions. To carry out their essential work, election officials must be free from improper influence, physical threats, and other forms of intimidation.”
The ETTF brought forth all four cases.
“Created by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the Department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation,” the release said.
