Massachusetts man pleads guilty after sending bomb threat to Arizona election official

A man who sent a bomb threat from Massachusetts to an Arizona election official pled guilty on Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

James Clark, 38, faces up to five years in prison after signing a plea deal for threatening interstate communication.

What happened:

From more than 2,500 miles away, Clark sent an online threat to the Arizona Secretary of State’s elections office on Valentine's Day 2021.

He singled out an election official in his message, demanding that she quit by Feb. 16 “or the explosive device impacted in her personal space will be detonated,” according to the DOJ. The government did not identify the target by name.

After sending the message, federal investigators found that Clark hopped online and searched the election officials' name, “address,” and “how to kill.”

He also looked up information about the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing.

What happens next:

U.S. prosecutors originally indicted Clark with making a bomb, perpetrating a bomb hoax, and one count of communicating an interstate threat.

“Threatening public officials is a serious matter, never warranted by the situation no matter how heated or politically charged,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona.

Clark's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26 in U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: James Clark faces five years in prison after pleading to bomb threat