Colorado Man Arrested for Threatening Election Officials and Law Enforcement

On August 27, a 45-year-old man from Colorado, Teak Brockbank, was arrested for making online threats against election workers, a state judge, and federal law enforcement officials. His arrest took place in Cortez, Colorado, where he is a resident.

Brockbank made his first court appearance on Monday following his arrest by the FBI on Friday. He faces serious charges of transmitting interstate threats, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years if he is found guilty.

Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the evidence against Brockbank includes detailed death threats directed at election officials, judges, and law enforcement personnel. Federal prosecutors allege that he transmitted these threats via conservative social media platforms, including Rumble and Gab, over a period extending from September 2021 to August 2022. The FBI affidavit, which has been partially redacted, included excerpts of Brockbank’s posts that explicitly call for violence against public servants.

One notable post from September 22, 2021, allegedly targets a Colorado election official whom Brockbank accused of destroying electoral data. In this post, he referred to the woman as a “crazed liberal” and stated that she “has to Hang by the neck till she is Dead Dead Dead.”

Another threatening message, published on August 4, 2022, discussed the execution of various election officials from Colorado and Arizona. An excerpt highlighted his belief that such actions would lead to a broader collapse of support among officials: “Once those people start getting put to death then the rest will melt like snowflakes and turn on each other.” He claimed that this was the only solution and urged those capable of such actions to prepare themselves mentally.

In an additional post dated October 2, 2021, Brockbank is alleged to have threatened a Colorado state judge, expressing an intent to commit violence against him. He asserted, “I could pick up my rifle and I could go put a bullet in this Mans head and send him to explain himself to our Creator right now,” indicating that he felt justified in such actions.

Search warrants executed as part of the investigation revealed texts sent from Brockbank to his stepfather. In one message from December 20, 2023, he expressed his anger towards judges involved in the decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot in Colorado—a ruling that was later overturned by the Supreme Court. In this message, he indicated that the judges responsible for the decision “have been moved to the front of my list.”

Authorities also uncovered images from Brockbank’s cellphone showing him posing with firearms. Brockbank is legally barred from owning any weapons due to a 2002 conviction for attempted theft related to stolen property. Notably, he reportedly told his stepfather, “I do not go anywhere without a firearm.”

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri commented on the severity of Brockbank’s alleged threats, stressing that he claimed it was “time” to execute two state election officials and even suggested he was obligated to “put a bullet” in the head of a judge.

This case is part of a broader initiative led by the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, established in June 2021 in response to an increase in threats against election officials following the 2020 presidential election. Since its inception, the task force has pursued over 16 cases related to such threats, with 11 resulting in prison sentences.

Currently, additional defendants associated with the task force’s work are awaiting sentencing, some have entered guilty pleas, and several others face charges.