A man who threatened Fani Willis and the sheriff in connection with the Trump investigation faces almost 2 years in prison

ATLANTA – The man from Alabama who left threatening phone messages for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and county sheriff last summer because he was angry about the investigation into former President Donald Trump, who was sentenced Tuesday to nearly two years in prison.

A little over a week earlier, Arthur Ray Hanson II from Huntsville had called Trump and 18 others have been charged in Fulton County in August 2023 in connection with attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Federal prosecutors say Hanson left voicemails full of profanities and racial slurs for Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee in Atlanta said Hanson’s behavior was “appalling” and that the victims’ fear was “real and justified.” He sentenced Hanson to one year and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He also ordered Hanson to pay a $7,500 fine.

Hanson had he pleaded guilty in June to leave threatening telephone messages. Speaking for nearly 10 minutes during Tuesday’s hearing, Hanson tearfully apologized to Willis and Labat.

“I’m really sorry I made those calls,” he said. “This isn’t who I am.”

Willis told the judge that as a result of the threats, she began to fear not only for herself, but also for the lives of her daughters and father. Before she became a district attorney and a mother, she told the judge, “Mom was very afraid.”

Labat also briefly addressed the court, saying the threats exposed his family to the “ugly side of work.”

Defense attorney Tyler Wolas told the judge that Hanson had a history of alcohol abuse. In pushing for a lesser sentence, he also said Hanson suffers from grand mal seizures and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after his arrest. Wolas noted that Hanson has completed an anger management course and regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Three of Hanson’s friends and his 19-year-old son told the judge that he was a kind and generous person and that the phone calls were not reflective of the man they knew.

Hanson said he had been drinking and didn’t remember leaving the messages. He said he felt “disgust and disgust” after hearing the recordings. He said he was not a racist, although he acknowledged it might sound like one, and said Willis and Labat did not deserve the threats.

He used to comment regularly online and got caught up in the “social media madness,” he said, adding that he gave up social media and stopped drinking.

The Aug. 14, 2023, Fulton County indictment was the fourth criminal case filed against Trump in as many months and was widely expected. When reporters asked shortly before the return whether Trump had his mugshot taken if he was charged, the sheriff said, “Unless someone tells me otherwise, we are following our normal practices, so it doesn’t matter what your status is, we will prepare a mug shot for you.”

Hanson called the Fulton County customer service hotline and left voicemails with the prosecutor and sheriff on August 6, 2023. Prosecutors included transcripts of the messages in a sentencing memo filed with the court.

In a message to Willis, Hanson warned her to be careful that she wouldn’t always have people around to protect her and that there would be times when she would be vulnerable. “When you’re accusing Trump of the fourth indictment, whenever you’re alone, look over your shoulder,” he said, according to a transcript.

In a message to Labat, Hanson threatened the sheriff, warning him not to take photos of Trump. “I’m just saying that if you take a picture of the president and are the reason why something happened, something bad will probably happen to you,” the voicemail said, according to court records.

Hanson’s attorneys asked that he be sentenced to probation and community service or prison instead of prison. They noticed that his 19-year-old son lived with him, and that his mother had been diagnosed with incurable cancer and had only a short time to live.

Prosecutor Bret Hobson called Hanson’s crime “extremely serious” and said he caused real harm to the victims and their families. He asked for a sentence that was at the low end of the federal sentencing guidelines. He argued that anyone considering threatening a public official “must consider that a prison sentence is possible.”

Boulee said he would have given Hanson a longer sentence, but took into account statements from his lawyers and loved ones, as well as prosecutors’ recommendations. However, he made it clear that he believed Hanson’s behavior was unacceptable.

“To make matters worse, you attacked them not only for doing their job, but you attacked them because of the color of their skin,” Boulee said. He said the racial slurs in the messages were “an attempt to make them feel belittled and less valued.”

Willis said after the hearing that she had forgiven Hanson. She said it was important for the judge to mention the racist nature of the threats so that black people knew they could come to the courtroom and feel protected.

Willis is running for re-electionand the case against trump is largely on hold until a pre-trial appeal is in progress. However, when asked if she planned to continue prosecuting if Trump wins next month’s presidential election, Willis replied that she planned to “continue to prosecute every single case in my office.”