A Colorado man has entered a guilty plea after issuing threats to kill top election officials in Colorado and Arizona, along with a judge and law enforcement agents. As reported by FOX 10 Phoenix, Teak Ty Brockbank, 45, confessed to a federal judge that the threats he made were the product of "fear, hate and anger." Brockbank is now facing a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for February 3, 2025.
The Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, formed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021, has now secured its 16th conviction with Brockbank's case. The Task Force was created to address the escalating number of threats against election workers. According to a statement obtained by AP News, "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."
The election officials targeted include Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is currently serving as Arizona's governor. Griswold, who has become a national voice on election security, has been facing increased threats since a lawsuit was filed in September 2023 to remove former President Donald Trump from Colorado’s primary ballot. "I refuse to be intimidated and will continue to make sure every eligible Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated voter can make their voices heard in our elections," Griswold said in a statement issued after Brockbank’s plea, as FOX 10 Phoenix reported.
Brockbank began advocating the viewpoint that violence against public officials was necessary in late 2021, telling investigators after his arrest that his intention was not to act as a "vigilante" but to hopefully wake people up, as noted by AP News. His arrest occurred on August 23 in Cortez, Colorado, where authorities discovered numerous firearms in his home, despite his felony conviction making it illegal for him to possess such weapons. The investigation into Brockbank’s threats was initiated after Griswold’s office notified federal authorities of troubling posts made on Gab and Rumble, platforms criticized for hosting and occasionally promoting far-right extremism.
While Brockbank pleaded guilty to charges related to threats between September 2021 and August 2022, attorneys say he continued to make threats afterward. Prosecutors indicated that he added the Colorado Supreme Court judges to "my list" after they ruled against Trump's appearance on the state's primary ballot. This decision was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, restoring Trump to the ballot, as detailed by FOX 10 Phoenix. The latest charges against Brockbank follow a series of judicial actions against individuals threatening election officials, highlighting the Justice Department's commitment to enforcing consequences for unlawful threats against election personnel.
