Frederick Francis Goltz, who threatened Arizona election officials, sentenced to 3 years in prison

A Texas man was sentenced by a federal judge Thursday to three and half years in prison for threatening two Maricopa County officials and their families in relation to the 2022 election.

Frederick Francis Goltz, 52, of Lubbock, pleaded guilty on April 21 to one count of interstate threatening communication in targeting Republican officials, County Recorder Stephen Richer, County Attorney's Civil Division Chief Tom Liddy and poll workers, according to federal court records.

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, sentenced Goltz to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Court documents state that Goltz’s threats were made in 2022, from July to Nov. 23, in Lubbock County.

According to court documents — filed Dec. 16, 2022, in the U.S. Attorney’s Northern District of Texas — Goltz made threats against Richer, his wife and children on social media. Goltz also made threats on social media against Liddy and his children.

Shared personal info, threatened others

"Hypothetically, a mass shooting of poll workers and election officials in these highly suspect precincts might be the way to go," Goltz posted on Nov. 14 on the right-wing social media site, Patriots.win under the username FreeSpeechMaster.

On Nov. 21, Goltz posted Liddy’s purported home address and phone number, charging documents show.

"It would be a shame if someone got to this children. There are some crazies out there. This kind of info shouldn’t be readily available on the internet," Goltz wrote as FreeSpeechMaster, the charging documents state. "Someone needs to get these people AND their children. The children are the most important message to send."

At one point, charging documents state, Goltz wrote on Patriots.win, "Dead children burn into the memories of people."

The FBI informed Liddy on Nov. 22 about FreeSpeechMaster’s posts with the lawyer saying he was afraid for himself and his family.

Also on Nov. 21, according to court documents, Goltz wrote on Patriots.win that Richer possibly had children and one user wrote, "Kids are off limits." In response, he wrote "No. Nothing is off limits. It’s people like you that are supposedly with us, who don’t have the stomach to do whatever it takes to get our country back. That’s why we lose. They’ve come after our kids every way possible and you have some aversion to targeting theirs? Thanks for letting me know what foxhole I DON’T want you in."

Goltz continued in another thread writing, "I wish someone would send a message to AZ by going after this guys kids," according to charging documents.

Goltz was also on Gab, another right-wing social media site, with the username @FreeSpeechMaster and the display name "ShootThePope," according to court documents. On Gab, Goltz threatened law enforcement officers, government officials, Jewish people and others, court documents state. At one point, Goltz wrote on Gab, "we are in need of a REAL holocaust, this time," court documents show.

Goltz owned at least one firearm and mentioned Texas is an open carry state, according to court documents.

"Yeah, but when it’s me, I’m willing to take lives. That’s the difference. If you’re being unfairly and illegally persecuted, it’s built right into the constitution that you are supposed to protect yourself against a tyrannical government. This mean their children are not off limits, either," Goltz wrote on Gab, according to charging documents.

Richer, Libby react to sentencing

On Thursday on Twitter, Richer shared the news of Goltz’s sentencing.

"Grateful for the many thousands of law enforcement workers at DOJ and FBI who every day do everything from stop terrorists to prosecute creepers like this guy who terrorize the Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents working in various civic roles that are core to governance," Richer told The Arizona Republic via text.

Liddy, on the other hand, drove to Lubbock, Texas, for the sentencing. He wanted to "look the defendant in the eye," he said.

While there, he learned that Goltz has a wife and six children, one of whom is roughly the same age as Liddy was when his father, political operative G. Gordon Liddy, was sentenced to prison for his role in the Watergate scandal.

With that in mind, Liddy said he asked the judge to be lenient despite the "egregious" threats.

"It was very emotional," Liddy told The Republic while on the road as he drove home to Scottsdale.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Texas man sentenced for threatening Maricopa Co. election officials