A federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri indicted Walter Lee Hoornstra Wednesday for threatening an Arizona election official.

The indictment asserts that Hoornstra left a threatening voicemail on the personal cell phone of an election official in Arizona. The alleged voicemail threatened the election worker that they “will never make it to your next little board meeting.” The indictment charged Hoornstra with one count of interstate threat and one count of threatening interstate telephone call. Both counts are felony charges, and Hoornstra could face up to seven years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated:

These unlawful threats of violence endanger election officials, undermine our electoral process, and threaten our democracy. The department’s Election Threats Task Force, working with our partners across the country, remains committed to investigating and prosecuting such illegal threats to ensure that these public servants are able to do their jobs free from intimidation.

This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco launched the Task Force in June 2021. The task force examines, investigates, and prosecutes allegations and reports of threats against election workers in collaboration with the FBI, US Attorneys’ offices, election workers, and state and local law enforcement.