(WHTM) \u2014 A Pennsylvania man will spend 10 months in prison for threatening to kill an election official and use their skin as toilet paper, according to the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n
John Pollard, 63, of Philadelphia, will have to spend one year on supervised release once released and pay a fine of $5,000 after being sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon, the DOJ said.<\/p>\n
In December, Pollard pleaded guilty to making interstate threats.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI will KILL YOU IF YOU DON\u2019T ANSWER ME!,\u201d \u201cYour days are numbered *****!,\u201d and \u201cGONNA ******* FIND YOU AND SKIN YOU ALIVE AND USE YOUR SKIN FOR ******* TOILET PAPER,\u201d was texted to the poll watcher by Pollard on Sept. 6, 2024,<\/a> the DOJ said.<\/p>\n Iron Hill Brewery reopening several locations in Pennsylvania <\/a><\/p>\n The victim was a Regional Election Integrity Director who made a post online looking to recruit volunteers to \u201cobserve at the polls on Election Day\u201d and provided their phone number, the DOJ said.<\/p>\n Over the course of ten minutes, the DOJ said, Pollard sent the threatening messages after first texting that he was interested.<\/p>\n \u201cThis prosecution, and the Court\u2019s sentence of incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons, sends a clear and unmistakable message that threats against election workers and other public servants will be met with swift, certain, and just punishment,\u201d United States Attorney Rivetti said in a statement. \u201cOur office and our law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting free and fair elections.\u201d<\/p>\n Bissoon noted how the victim suffered greatly from what Pollard did and that the sentence also balanced Pollard\u2019s lack of criminal history and acceptance of responsibility. The DOJ said the defense wanted a sentence of probation, but Bissoon rejected that, stressing that \u201cpolitical violence is real.\u201d<\/p>\n