Man Accused of Threatening Election Officials Expected to Plead Guilty

Teak Ty Brockbank, a Colorado man accused of repeatedly threatening election officials, judges and law enforcement agents, is expected to plead guilty in a federal court on Wednesday.
Brockbank, 45, has been in jail since his arrest on Aug. 23 and is scheduled for a change of plea hearing after previously pleading not guilty to one count of making interstate threats.
His lawyer recently informed the court of his intent to change his plea.
Brockbank is accused of making multiple threats against public officials, including Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is now Arizona’s governor.
According to court documents, Brockbank’s threats date back to 2021, when he began to express support for violence against officials.
In one August 2022 post, he allegedly referred to Griswold and Hobbs, stating: “Once those people start getting put to death then the rest will melt like snowflakes and turn on each other.”
Investigators launched an inquiry into Brockbank after Griswold’s office alerted federal authorities to threatening posts made on Gab and Rumble, both social media platforms known for hosting far-right extremism.
Brockbank, who is legally barred from possessing firearms due to a felony conviction in Utah, was nevertheless arrested in August with several firearms, including a loaded one near his front door.
Prosecutors say Brockbank made additional threats in December 2023 after the Colorado Supreme Court removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot. He allegedly sent a message to his stepfather saying he was adding the four judges who made that ruling to his “list.”
Prosecutors also say Brockbank threatened to use his rifle against a state judge who oversaw his probation for a previous DUI conviction, calling the judge a “Nazi” in an October 2021 post. In July 2022, Brockbank posted that he would shoot any federal agent who showed up at his house without warning.
Brockbank’s case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which was created in 2021 by Attorney General Merrick Garland to address the rise in threats against election workers and officials. The task force has prosecuted several cases, including the 2022 guilty plea of a Nebraska man who threatened Griswold.
Brockbank’s ongoing threats since 2021 highlight the continued dangers facing public officials amid growing election security concerns.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press