DENVER (AP) Teak Ty Brockbank, the man who made online threats against Colorado's Secretary of State Jena Griswold and former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, is set to face sentencing Thursday for his actions. Brockbank, who pled guilty to one count of transmitting interstate threats between September 2021 and August 2022, claimed that heavy drinking and social isolation influenced his behavior during the time he made the threats.
Brockbank's threats weren't limited to election officials; his list of targets included a Colorado state judge and federal law enforcement agents. His plea deal included an agreement from prosecutors not to pursue additional charges related to firearm possession—due to a previous felony conviction—or more threats he made later. One such threat was targeted at Griswold concerning her involvement in the prosecution of former Colorado clerk Tina Peters. Furthermore, he made threats against judges on the Colorado Supreme Court after they removed Donald Trump's name from the state's ballot, a decision later reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Currently in custody since his arrest in August 2024, Brockbank is asking for leniency in his sentencing. He is requesting to be sentenced to time already served alongside three years of supervised release, potentially with six months in home detention or in a halfway house. His lawyers argue that this proposed sentence is less than what federal guidelines recommend but would enable Brockbank to receive necessary treatment.
In support of his leniency request, Brockbank's lawyer, Tom Ward, described him as a "keyboard warrior" who never intended to carry out the threats he made. They emphasized that Brockbank's engagement with extremist content online stemmed from feelings of belonging and a lack of critical questioning of others' motives. His social media habits included frequenting platforms like Gab and Rumble, which are known for fostering far-right extremism.
Ward noted that messaging on platforms like Rumble and Gab often convey a narrative of a country under attack, pushing users towards extreme responses. Although the court filing did not detail specific conspiracy theories or extremist ideas that captivated Brockbank, it mentioned that influential figures such as Michael Flynn and Roger Stone were prominent on Rumble at the time.
Prosecutors, however, are advocating for a more stringent sentence of three years in prison. They stress the necessity of deterring similar conduct against election officials across the nation. Jonathan Jacobsen, a trial attorney with the Justice Department's public integrity section, highlighted the ongoing issue of threats against election workers. The department initiated a task force in 2021 to counteract the rising tide of threats directed at election officials, and Brockbank's conviction contributes to a series of successful prosecutions by this unit.
In previous cases involving threats against election officials, the longest sentences issued so far were 3.5 years for two separate cases in Arizona. In one, an individual threatened "a mass shooting of poll workers," posting alarming statements about two officials and their children. In another instance, a man from Massachusetts was sentenced for making a bomb threat against an election official in Arizona's Secretary of State's office in February 2021.
