ATLANTA — An individual from Alabama received a nearly two-year prison sentence for making threatening phone calls directed at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the county sheriff, Pat Labat. This incident occurred during the summer, stemming from his frustration regarding an investigation involving former President Donald Trump.
Arthur Ray Hanson II, a resident of Huntsville, placed the menacing calls just days prior to the indictment of Trump and 18 associates in Fulton County, which took place in August 2023. Prosecutors reported that Hanson left voicemail messages filled with profanity and racially charged remarks aimed at both Willis and Sheriff Labat.
The U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee handed down a sentence of one year and nine months in federal prison for Hanson, who is also subject to three years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Additionally, the judge mandated that he pay a fine of $7,500.
Hanson had previously pleaded guilty to his charges and expressed remorse during the court session, extending apologies to both Willis and Labat. The indictment of Trump, issued by a grand jury in Fulton County on August 14, 2023, represented the fourth criminal case against the former president in a brief time frame. It alleged that Trump and his allies were involved in an extensive attempt to unlawfully reverse his narrow defeat in Georgia, where he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
In a news conference prior to the indictment announcement, Sheriff Labat was asked if Trump would have to take a mug shot should he be charged. Labat responded with a firm statement about adhering to standard procedures, making it clear that regardless of one’s status, the protocol would remain.
Hanson’s threats were communicated through messages left on August 6, 2023, when he contacted the Fulton County government’s customer service line. The prosecution presented excerpts from these voicemails in a written submission to the court prior to sentencing.
In one voicemail, Hanson ominously advised Willis to be vigilant, implying that she would not always have others to defend her. He stated, “When you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder,” according to the court’s transcript of the call.
Regarding Sheriff Labat, Hanson issued a warning against taking a Trump mug shot, saying, “I’m just telling you that if you take a mugshot of the president and you’re the reason it happened, some bad (expletive)’s probably gonna happen to you,” as cited in court documents.
The FBI was able to trace these threats back to Hanson’s cellphone. Initially, when confronted by agents, he denied making the calls and claimed ignorance of who Willis and Labat were. It was only after they played the recorded messages that he acknowledged his anger over the Trump indictment, asserting that he never intended to cause them harm but merely wanted them to feel uneasy.
Despite being warned to cease making threatening communications, about a month later, he contacted the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to voice his grievances regarding a counterterrorism initiative, during which he made a violent remark about U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.