Indiana man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Michigan election worker

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- An Indiana man has pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a Michigan election worker in the days following the 2020 election.

Andrew Nickels, 37, of Carmel, Ind., pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of making a threatening interstate communication and faces up to five years behind bars when he is sentenced on July 9.

"No public official should face the violent threats that the victim in this case did, just for doing their job of ensuring the fairness and integrity of our federal, state, and local elections," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement.

Nickels was charged in August with leaving a Michigan election worker a threatening voicemail on Nov. 10, 2020, just days after the general election was held.

An excerpt of the voicemail included in court documents states Nickels said: "We're watching your ... mouth talk about how you think that there's no irregularities ... [Y]ou frauded out America of a real election."

"You're gonna pay for it," Nickels said, according to federal prosecutors. "Ten million plus patriots will surround you when you least expect it."

He continued to tell the official that they would "kill you," while warning them to "watch your back.

"You deserve a [expletive] throat to the knife," he is quoted as having said.

Though the Justice Department did not name the victim, former Rochester Hills election clerk Tina Barton has said that she was the recipient of Nickels' threats.

In a statement on X, she thanked the judge and law enforcement, while stating Tuesday "marks a win for election officials all over the country."

"While this is an important step in what has been and will be a lengthy process, the reality is that this individual's behavior has permanently impacted me and my family's lives," she said.

"I will never be able to turn back the clock and go back to living in a sense of peace and security as I had done prior to this incident. I strongly believe that election officials should never be intimidated, threatened or harassed for doing their jobs serving the public."

The guilty plea comes amid an increase in threats directed at election workers.

In the wake of the 2020 election, the Justice Department launched an Election Threats Task Force to address threats of violence directed at election workers.

In late August, the task force said it had brought 13 cases, including Nickels', before the court.