FBI says Iran behind threatening emails to Democrats in Flagler and elsewhere
The FBI said Iran was behind the threatening emails some Flagler County voters and others in Florida received warning them to vote for President Donald Trump or else.
The emails contain the name of the Proud Boys, a far-right group prone to confrontations that Trump said should "stand back and stand by" during his first debate with Democrat and former vice president Joe Biden. But a spokesman for the Proud Boys said they had nothing to do with the emails.
Now the FBI said Iranian intelligence was behind the emails. Iran has denied it's involved.
While there have been no reports of the threatening emails in Volusia County, email users in other Florida counties besides Flagler County have reported them, including in Alachua and Brevard counties. The emails have also been reported in Alaska, Arizona and Pennsylvania, according to published accounts.
Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart said Wednesday before the announcement of the Iranian involvement that voter intimidation is a crime and she is collecting the threatening emails to forward them to the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. She said she had been contacted by about 30 residents concerning the threatening emails.
The Proud Boys spokesman said someone used a spoofing technique to make it seem like the emails were from them, according to a story published in USA Today. He condemned the email and said the organization, which the Southern Poverty Law Center and others have characterized as a hate group, are helping law enforcement to find who sent out the emails.
"No, it wasn’t us. The people (who sent the emails) used a spoofing email that pretended to be us," Enrique Tarrio, international chairman of the Proud Boys, told USA TODAY. “Whoever did this should be in prison for a long time."
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The menacing emails come from info@officialproudboys.com and begin with the voter’s name. They that they know the voter is a Democrat because they have “gained access into the entire voting infrastructure.” According to the New York Times, the emails originated in Estonia.
“You will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you. Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply. We will know which candidate you voted for. I would take this seriously if I were you.” It ends with the voter’s address.
Lenhart urged voters not to be intimidated by the emails, which have only been sent to registered Democrats in Florida.
Lenhart said the scammers are using publicly available voter information to send the emails. She said voters' ballots are kept secret as required by the U.S. Constitution.
“Please do not let this type of behavior discourage you from voting for your candidate of choice,” Lenhart wrote in an emailed statement. “This is such an important election and unfortunately these scammers are using public information to attack voter confidence in the voting process.”
She asked that anyone receiving such an email forward it to info@flaglerelections.com
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office had not received reports of the threatening emails. Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis also said she had not received any reports of such emails.
"I have not heard of anyone receiving any emails like this. This is disappointing to think people are trying to scare people from voting," Lewis wrote. "It truly makes me sad. I agree with what Kaiti has stated; do not let anyone discourage you from voting."