Arthur Ray Hanson ll was sentenced to nine months in federal prison this week for threatening Fulton County (GA) District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sherrif Pat Labat.
The Alabama native also received three years of supervised release and must pay a $7,500 fine.
Hanson pleaded guilty to leaving threatening messages to Willis and Labat after the district attorney’s office filed an indictment against former President Donald Trump for attempting to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Hanson left voicemails in an attempt to intimidate the Fulton County DA’s office. His initial message to Willis referenced the indictment.
“When you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder,” he said.
He also attempted to pressure Labat into withholding Trump’s mugshot.
“If you take a mug shot of the president and you’re the reason it happened, some bad (expletive)’s gonna happen to you,” Hanson said.
Arthur Ray Hanson, II, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of transmitting interstate threats to injure Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labathttps://t.co/FOEoLF4Bka pic.twitter.com/DF27sRxml8
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) October 30, 2023
According to the Associated Press, Hanson initially pleaded not guilty to the charges before changing his mind.
Threatening the life of any person is a crime. However, Hanson did not view his actions as illegal and allegedly did not anticipate consequences for his action.
“I made a stupid phone call,” Hanson said. “I didn’t knowingly know I was threatening anybody,” he continued.
The Georgia election interference case is ongoing. After having six charges thrown out by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, Willis’s office filed an appeal. The office seeks to reinstate the six charges.
“Three of the six charges are specific to Trump. District Attorney Fani Willis contends the charge of ‘solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer’ is appropriate and applicable to the state’s case. The state takes exception with Judge McAfee’s ruling to throw out the charges.”
The district attorney’s office contends McAfee erred in his initial ruling. McAfee has not ruled whether the state will be allowed to move forward with the charges.
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