FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A federal judge sentenced an Alabama man to prison on Tuesday afternoon for making threatening phone calls to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat.
Federal judge J.P. Boulee sentenced Ray Hanson II to 21 months in prison, a $7,500 fine and more. He says he believes that Hanson targeted Willis and Labat not only for doing their jobs, but also because of the color of their skin.
“After you’ve been threatened, a part of your peace is gone,” Willis told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne. “I plan to continue to do this job. I will not be deterred from any prosecution.”
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A federal charge against Hanson says that he was “consciously disregarding a substantial risk that his communications would be viewed as threatening violence, knowingly transmitted communications.”
“Fat [expletive] Fani, the one that’s gonna be charging Trump the fourth indictment, watch it when you’re going to the car, ok?” Hanson can be heard saying on one of the calls.
“So all you sorry [expletive] that are coming after uh, uh, Trump because you got this power, then watch your back because there’s gonna be people coming after you that you never dreamed of,” he says in another.
In June, Hanson pleaded guilty as part of a plea negotiation.
Willis says she’s pleased with Hanson’s sentence.
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Defense attorney Tyler Wolas says that at the time of the calls, Hanson had a drinking problem, but he’s now sober and in Alcoholics Anonymous. He has also since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and suffers grand mal seizures, for which he wasn’t taking his medication, and was smoking marijuana.
Willis says the comments that bothered her the most were the ones about her family.
“I’ve been informed that there’s people that’ll gonna wanna [expletive] you up. Not just you, but your whole entire [expletive] piece of [expletive] family,” Hanson said.
Hanson said he was ashamed of his action and is not racist. He looked in Willis and Labat’s direction and said, “I’m sorry.”
A filing from the prosecution shows that about a month after assuring agents he’d stop making calls, he called a tip line and said the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security should be hanged.
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