Lincoln man pleads guilty to threatening election official

LINCOLN, Neb. -- A Nebraska man pleaded guilty today to making multiple threatening posts on an Instagram page associated with an election official.

According to court documents, 42-year-old Travis Ford of Lincoln made multiple threats in August 2021 toward the election official.

It was reported that Ford specifically said: “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. Do you think Soros will/can protect you?” and “Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days….anything can happen to anyone.”

“The Justice Department will not tolerate illegal threats of violence against public officials,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. 

Garland said that threats of violence against a public official - in this case, an election official - are dangerous for people's safety and for the country's democracy. Garland continued by saying that they would use every resource they have at their disposal to disrupt as well as investigate the threats and hold perpetrators accountable.

“Threatening violence against election workers in an attempt to intimidate them while in performance of their duties will not be tolerated,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “

Wray said that threats to elections workers have no place in society and that Ford's plea shows the success in their joint efforts to ensure the safety of the workers the nation entrusts to execute the democratic process.

“We are proud to work with our partners at FBI Denver, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska, and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division to hold this defendant accountable for threatening an election official in Colorado,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado. “If you make online threats of violence, do not count on remaining anonymous.”

Ford also posted similar messages on Instagram pages associated with the President of the United States and with another public figure.

Ford is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6 and faces up to two years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell for the District of Nebraska, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

FBI Denver is investigating the case, with the assistance of FBI Omaha.

Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessie L. Smith for the District of Nebraska are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron M. Teitelbaum and Cyrus Y. Chung for the District of Colorado.