An Alabama man who threatened Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, and the county sheriff, Patrick Labat, over their involvement in President Trump’s Georgia election interference case has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison. 

The charges were based on alarming phone calls made by Arthur Ray Hanson II over a week before Trump was indicted in August 2023. He left voicemails for both Ms. Willis and Mr. Labat which contained racial slurs and expletive-filled threats. 

According to court records, Hanson told Mr. Labat that, “If you think you gonna take a mugshot of my President Trump and it’s gonna be okay, you gonna find out that after you take that mugshot, some bad [expletive]’s gonna happen to you.”

In a message to Ms. Willis, Hanson warned that if Trump was indicted, “anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder,” adding that she should “be very afraid” because “you can’t be around people all the time that are going to protect you.” 

Trump was indicted on August 14 on state charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential results in Georgia. He was booked into Fulton County Jail 10 days later, during which his mugshot was taken by officials. 

The judge overseeing the case, J.P. Boulee, described Hanson’s threats as “appalling” and characterized the victim’s worries as “real and legitimate.” Hanson was sentenced to a year and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and will also have to pay a fine of $7,500. 

In June, Hanson pleaded guilty to the charges, though insisted that he’s “not a lawbreaker” and just “made a stupid phone call.” He claimed he “never dreamed the FBI would show up at my house.”

During Tuesday’s hearing, however, Hanson expressed remorse for his threatening behavior. “I’m truly sorry for making those phone calls,” Hanson said in a tearful apology. “That is not who I am.”

Hanson’s defense attorney pushed for a lesser sentence, arguing that his client has a history of alcohol abuse and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after his arrest. Hanson claimed he was drinking during the time of the messages and didn’t even remember them. He said he was “repulsed and sickened” when he later heard the recordings.