Florida voters report threatening emails
Law enforcement and election officials are investigating threatening emails sent to some Florida voters pressuring them to vote for President Donald Trump and claiming to be from a far-right group with a history of violent confrontations.
The emails appeared to be sent from “info@officialproudboys.com.” One email, forwarded to The Gainesville Sun, said the group had obtained contact information and threatened to “come after” the voter if he or she didn’t vote for Trump.
The Proud Boys, a group that catapulted to national attention in September when Trump declined a chance to condemn them, denied responsibility and criticized the emails.
“No, it wasn’t us. The people (who sent the emails) used a spoofing email that pretended to be us,” Enrique Tarrio, international chairman of the Proud Boys, told USA TODAY. “Whoever did this should be in prison.”
Wednesday in Maryland, a Frederick man was charged with making death threats against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris in a letter left on the doorstep of a neighbor who had yard signs supporting the candidates.
James Dale Reed, 42, told investigators that he was “upset at the political situation” when he wrote the threatening letter, a U.S. Secret Service agent said in an affidavit.
A door camera captured video of a person resembling Reed leaving the letter on his neighbor’s doorstep early on the morning of Oct. 4, authorities said. The neighbor said he didn’t know Reed but had several yard signs supporting the Democratic candidates for president and vice president.
In the Florida case, Tarrio said the emails showed signs they were spoofed and said he is working with law enforcement to address the issue. “It is voter intimidation, no matter if it came from us or it didn’t – which it didn’t.”
Scammers use email spoofing to make victims think the email comes from a source other than the scammer.
Voter intimidation is a federal offense subject to up to one-year imprisonment.
Similar emails have been reported in other states, including Alaska and Arizona, according to The Washington Post and the Anchorage Daily News.
The Florida emails appear to follow a similar, although not entirely uniform, format:
“Hi (name) We are in possession of all your information You are currently registered as a Democrat and we know this because we have gained access into the entire voting infrastructure. You will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you. Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply. We will know which candidate you voted for. I would take this seriously if I were you. (Voter’s address)”
Contributing: Associated Press