Left: Donald Trump’s Fulton County Jail mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office). Center: Arthur Ray Hanson II (Shelby County Sheriffs Office). Right: Fulton County DA Fani Willis (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File).
A Donald Trump supporter from Alabama who admittedly “lost it” when it seemed inevitable that the former president would be booked at the Fulton County Jail and have a mug shot taken in his Georgia RICO case is now going to federal prison for close to two years for threatening voicemails he left for DA Fani Willis (D) and the local sheriff.
Arthur Ray Hanson II, now 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee on Tuesday in the Northern District of Georgia for making threatening phone calls to the Fulton County Government’s customer service line and leaving messages for Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat in August 2023, a week before Trump and his allies were indicted for racketeering and other crimes in connection with attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
As a result, Hanson was fined $7,500, will go to prison for a year and nine months and, when he’s released, will have to serve three years of supervised release.
According to the DOJ, Hanson threatened Labat by warning the sheriff “you gonna get f—ed up” and “some bad s—t’s gonna happen” if he made Trump pose for a mug shot.
More Law&Crime coverage: High school social studies teacher arrested for threatening Donald Trump Jr. and Charlie Kirk after receiving message about Turning Point rally, cops say
“I’m warning you right now before you f— up your life and get hurt real bad,” the message continued, with Hanson adding that he didn’t care if Labat was a law enforcement officer since he was “f—ing with my President.”
“[W]hether you got a goddamn badge or not ain’t gonna help you none,” the voicemail said. “[Y]ou gonna get f—ed up you keep f—ing with my President.”
In a voicemail directed to DA Willis, Hanson said she should also be afraid, telling her to keep “looking over [her] shoulder”:
[…] HANSON made statements, which included, but were not limited to, the following: “watch it when you’re going to the car at night, when you’re going into your house, watch everywhere that you’re going;” “I would be very afraid if I were you because you can’t be around people all the time that are going to protect you;” “there’s gonna be moments when you’re gonna be vulnerable;” “when you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder;” and “what you put out there, b—, comes back at you ten times harder, and don’t ever forget it.”
In June, Hanson pleaded guilty, acknowledged he “made a stupid phone call” but insisted he’s “not a lawbreaker,” and stated that he “never dreamed the FBI would show up at my house.”
“I just lost it,” Hanson said, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan issued a statement warning that the Hanson prosecution and prison sentence shows “anyone who threatens to harm or intimidate” public servants responsible for enforcing the law “will face the consequences of their actions.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
