Two Instagram comments could be the reason why a man goes behind bars.
Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, Nebraska, posted two comments 10 days apart on the Instagram account of Colorado's top elections official, Secretary of State Jena Griswold in August 2021, according to BuzzFeed News.
"Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. Do you think Soros will/can protect you?" Ford wrote. Over a week later, he revisited the same post and added a second comment, "Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days….anything can happen to anyone 🤷."
Griswold reported both comments, which turned into an FBI investigation.
Last week, Ford appeared in federal court, where he pleaded guilty to one count of threatening use of a telecommunications device. His sentencing is scheduled for October 6 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. According to BuzzFeed News, Ford could spend up to two years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine.
"Elections officials across the country have been facing increased threats. It's heartening to see the Department of Justice take these threats seriously and prosecuting people who make threats against election officials based on the Big Lie. As Colorado's Secretary of State, I will always ensure that Colorado's elections remain among the safest and most secure in the nation, and will never be deterred from doing my job," Griswold said.
This marks the first conviction for the Justice Department's new task force that aims to protect election workers.
"Threats of violence against election officials are dangerous for people’s safety and dangerous for our democracy and we will use every resource at our disposal to disrupt and investigate those threats and hold perpetrators accountable," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after Ford's guilty plea.