News Release

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold Among Targets in Florida Guilty Plea Regarding Threats to Public Figures

Denver, December 4, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that a Florida man, Richard Kantwill, pleaded guilty for sending threats to multiple targets. The case included four charges of interstate transmission of threatening communication – including a threat of violence against Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold – as well as a number of threatening communications made towards other public figures. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count.

Secretary Griswold has issued the following statement

“Threats to try to intimidate election officials are unacceptable. I will not be intimidated. I want to thank the Justice Department, FBI, and law enforcement for taking these threats seriously.”

The threat against Secretary Griswold cited her as the “number 1 target” in a purported investigation conducted by Kantwill and included reference to targeted violence against her. It used racist, misogynistic, sexist and vulgar slurs.

The threat was sent on February 9, 2024, the day following the U.S. Supreme Court’s hearing of Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson, et al. That case concerned whether the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution disqualified Donald Trump from appearing on Colorado’s Presidential Primary ballot because of his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol. Secretary Griswold was a defendant in the initial case.

The Supreme Court ruled on March 4, 2024, that States do not have the authority to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment for federal candidates before Congressional action. Trump was eligible to appear on Colorado’s ballot and votes cast for him in the March 5 Presidential Primary were counted.

Since this case was filed in September of 2023, Secretary Griswold has received over 1,000 violent threats or death threats.

At least three other individuals have either been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, making threats of violence toward Secretary Griswold.