Man in Texas pleads guilty to threatening Maricopa County election officials

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — A Canadian man living in Texas pleaded guilty last week to threatening to kill Maricopa County election officials and their families following the November mid-terms. Fredrick Goltz, 51, now faces up to five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine, according to federal court documents.

Goltz, a Canadian citizen living in Lubbock, Texas, also faces deportation. According to court documents, Goltz went to a right-wing website to complain about Arizona’s election results. “Someone needs to get these people AND their children. The children are the most important message to send,” Goltz admitted to writing.

At the time, wild, baseless accusations about rigged elections in Arizona were running rampant. “I’m willing to take lives,” Goltz also wrote online. “If you’re being unfairly and illegally persecuted, it’s built right into the Constitution that you are supposed to protect yourself against a tyrannical government. This means their children are not off limits either.”

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer confirmed that he was one of the election officials who received the threats. But Goltz publicly posted another high-ranking county official’s name, address and phone number along with the statement, “It would be a shame if someone got to (sic) this children.”

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell applauded the conviction, saying it serves as a warning to others. Mitchell vowed to prosecute anyone who threatens election workers or officials but cautioned that those kinds of threats have not slowed down completely. “It kind of ebbs and flows depending on what’s in the news. If there’s a big event related to elections you may see an uptick and then it may level off.” Mitchell said.

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