Man Sentenced to 3 Years Over Threats to Journalists and Politicians

A California man who pleaded guilty to threatening dozens of people, including members of Congress and journalists, for saying that former President Donald J. Trump had lost the 2020 election was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison.

The man, Robert Lemke, 36, sent texts and voice messages to about 50 people between November 2020 and early January. Several of the messages warned elected officials and reporters to stop telling the public that Joseph R. Biden Jr. had won the election, and said that Mr. Lemke and others were “armed,” federal prosecutors said.

Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said on Monday that Mr. Lemke had targeted his victims “for the perceived offense of stating the facts.”

“Rather than attempting to effect change through the lawful forms of expression that all of us Americans still enjoy, Lemke sought to quell freedom of expression, to intimidate and instill fear in others by threats of violence,” Mr. Williams said in a statement.

Julia L. Gatto, a lawyer for Mr. Lemke, did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

On Jan. 6, the same day that Trump supporters