A Philadelphia man is accused of threatening to kill and skin a state party official in Western Pennsylvania alive if he did not comply with his request to act as a poll watcher in the upcoming presidential election.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the suspect, John C. Pollard, 62, sent a series of four text messages to party officials on September 6, including death threats and threats to skin him alive. He is suspected of having sent it to
Pollard was indicted on Oct. 16 on one count of interstate menacing, which could carry up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said.
Investigators allege Pollard sent four text messages to the victim’s cell phone on Sept. 6 around 10 p.m. These messages were sent a day after party officials posted on social media platforms that they were seeking volunteers to monitor voting in the election. The indictment says Day and his staff must train volunteers because they need certification to help inside polling places.
None of the Apple service centers or data centers involved in sending the messages were located in the state, according to the indictment. According to court documents, one of the elements of proving an interstate threat, in addition to proving it was a genuine threat, was that the communication was sent in interstate commerce.
The victim or political party is not identified in the indictment or court documents. The indictment does not specify the political affiliations of Mr. Pollard or the victim.
The FBI office in Pittsburgh conducted the investigation, but Pittsburgh FBI spokesman Bradford Alick declined to comment on the public investigation.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the incident stemmed from the June 2021 election, about 18 months after an attack by Trump supporters on police protecting the U.S. Capitol from a mob threatening to disrupt the election process. It said it was part of the Justice Department’s task force on threats. Electoral College votes are being counted to certify the 2020 presidential election.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering the Irwin, North Huntingdon and Norwin school districts. I also write about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked for the tribe since the early 1980s. Please contact us at jnapsha@triblive.com.
Categories: Elections |Local |Pennsylvania |Political Elections |Regional |Top Stories
