Chainkeen Exchange-Alabama Trump supporter indicted for allegedly threatening Fulton County D.A. and sheriff

An Alabama man has been indicted for making alleged threats against officials in Fulton County, Georgia, involved in the arrest and prosecution of former President Donald Trump. 

A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted 59-year-old Arthur Ray Hanson II on charges of transmitting interstate threats to injure Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat over their connection to the arrest and prosecution of the former president. Trump's trial over alleged efforts to overturn the presidential election result in Georgia will take place next year. 

Hanson made his first appearance in federal court in Huntsville, Alabama, and will be arraigned in Atlanta next month. 

Prosecutors say Hanson called the Fulton County government customer service line twice on Aug. 6, 2023, leaving two voicemails — the first for Labat and the second for Willis. 

"If you think you gonna take a mugshot of my President Donald Trump and it's gonna be ok, you gonna find out that after you take that mugshot, some bad [expletive]'s probably gonna happen to you," Hanson allegedly said in his message intended for the sheriff. "... I'm warning you right now before you [expletive] up your life and get hurt real bad."

In his messages for Willis, Hanson allegedly told her to "watch everywhere that you're going" and "there's gonna be moments when you're gonna be vulnerable," among other things. 

Federal officials who investigated the case stressed the seriousness of the charges. 

"Threats against public servants are not only illegal, but also a threat against our democratic process," said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "The FBI's mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. We take this responsibility very seriously and seek to punish those who engage in this type of criminal behavior, and to send the message that such conduct will not be tolerated."

Multiple individuals charged in the sprawling Fulton County case have now accepted guilty pleas, including Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell. 

— Andy Triay contributed to this report 

Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.