U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan
ATLANTA – A Texas man has pleaded guilty to posting a message online threatening several Georgia public officials following the 2020 election.
Chad Christopher Stark, 55, of Leander, Texas, faces up to two years in prison on one count of sending a threat using a telecommunications device.
According to court records, around Jan. 5, 2021, the day before the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Stark posted a message to Craigslist entitled “Georgia Patriots it’s time to kill [Official A] the Chinese agent – $10,000.”
The message included the following: “It’s time to invoke our Second Amendment right it’s time to put a bullet in the treasonous Chinese [Official A]. Then we will work our way down to [Official B] the local and federal corrupt judges.
“It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force. … If we want our country back we have to exterminate these people.”
The message went on to threaten a woman identified in the court records as “Official C.”
The threats were aimed at both Georgia elected officials and elections workers, Ryan Buchanan, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said Thursday.
“All across this country our fellow citizens and neighbors, including many retirees, choose to serve as elections officials, poll workers, and in other capacities to help ensure free and fair elections in the United States,” Buchanan said. “They serve out of a patriotic duty and appreciation for our nation and deserve to do so without fear of retaliation or threats of violence.”
“Today’s guilty plea plainly shows that anyone who threatens election officials online will be investigated by the FBI and held accountable for their words,” added Luis Quesada, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “We must take calls for violence seriously, whatever their form, especially when they have the potential to result in physical harm and undermine the integrity of U.S. elections.”
The investigation of Stark arose from the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in June 2021 and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
A sentencing date for Stark has not yet been set. A federal judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.