A Texas man was sentenced Thursday to three and a half years in prison by a federal judge for threatening two Maricopa County officials and their families in connection with the 2022 election.
Federal court records show Frederick Francis Goltz, 52, of Lubbock, died on April 21, including Republican officials, county registrar Stephen Richer, county attorney’s office civil affairs director Tom Liddy, and poll workers. pleaded guilty to one count of interstate threatening communications targeting
Federal District Judge James Wesley Hendricks, appointed by former President Donald Trump, sentenced Goltz to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Goltz’s threats took place in Lubbock County between July and November 23, 2022, according to court documents.
Golz made threats to Richer, his wife and children on social media, according to court documents filed with the Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District on December 16, 2022. Golz also made threats on social media against Liddy and his children.
Sharing Personal Information, Threatening Others
Goltz told the right-wing social media site Patriots.win on November 14, under the username FreeSpeechMaster, that “Hypothetically, mass shootings of poll workers and election workers in these highly questionable precincts may be the best course of action.” posted.
Goltz posted Liddy’s home address and phone number on Nov. 21, according to the indictment.
“It would be a shame if anyone messed with these kids. Some people are crazy in the world. This kind of information shouldn’t be so easily available on the Internet,” Goltz wrote as FreeSpeechMaster, according to the indictment. Are listed. “Someone has to save these people and their children. Children are the most important message to send.”
The indictment alleges that at one point Goltz wrote to Patriots.win that “dead children are seared into people’s memories.”
The FBI notified Liddy of the Free Speechmaster post on Nov. 22, saying the attorney feared for himself and his family.
Also, according to court documents, on November 21, Goltz wrote on Patriots.win that Richer may have children, with one user writing, “Children are not allowed.” In response, he wrote, “No, nothing is off limits. People like you who are supposed to be with us and are willing to do anything to get our country back.” That’s why we lose. Do you have some disgust? Thank you for showing me the trenches I don’t want you to fall into. “
“I wish someone would follow these kids and send a message to Arizona,” Goltz continued in a separate thread, according to the indictment.
Goltz also used the username @FreeSpeechMaster and display name “ShootThePope” on another right-wing social media site, Gab, according to court documents. According to court documents, Golz threatened law enforcement officials, government officials, Jews and others about Gab. At one point, Goltz wrote of Gabe, “Now we need a real Holocaust,” according to court documents.
Goltz said he owned at least one firearm and said Texas is a free bring state, according to court documents.
“Yes, but I would not mind taking a life. That’s the difference. If you’re being unjustly and unlawfully persecuted, it’s in the constitution to protect you from an oppressive government. This. So their children aren’t off limits either,” Golz wrote to Gab, according to the complaint.
Richie, Libby react to verdict
on thursday Richer shared news of Goltz’s sentencing on Twitter.
“Every day we do everything from stopping terrorists to prosecuting creepers like this man who terrorize Republicans, Democrats, libertarians, and independents who hold a variety of core civic roles in governance. Thank you to the thousands of law enforcement officers at the Department of Justice and the FBI,” Richer told the Arizona Republic in a text message.
Meanwhile, Liddy drove to Lubbock, Texas to receive his verdict. “I wanted to look the defendant in the eye,” he said.
While there, I learned that Golz had a wife and six children. One of them was about the same age as his father, political operative G. Gordon Liddy, when he was sentenced to prison for his role in the Watergate scandal.
With that in mind, Liddy said he asked the judge to be lenient despite the “terrible” threats.
“It was very emotional,” Liddy told The Republic as he drove back to Scottsdale.
