A Philadelphia man who threatened to skin alive a woman working for the state GOP when she failed to answer his text message about being a poll worker will serve 10 months in federal prison.
John C. Pollard, 63, pleaded guilty in December to one count of interstate threats.
“Political violence is real and should be taken with the utmost seriousness,” said Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon in handing down the sentence on Tuesday. “The court finds death threats are very serious business.”
In addition to the prison term, Bissoon ordered Pollard to pay a $5,000 fine and serve one year on supervised release.
On Sept. 5, 2024, the victim, who worked for a state political party in Erie, posted on her private social media page that she was recruiting volunteers to observe at the polls on Election Day, according to the indictment.
In the post, she included her full name and cellphone number.
That message was reposted on Reddit, according to information provided in court, where Pollard saw it.
The next day, Pollard texted the woman at 10:01 p.m.
“Hey, (victim’s name), I’m interested in being a poll watcher,” he wrote.
When she didn’t respond, according to the indictment, he texted 10 minutes later, “I will KILL YOU IF YOU DON’T ANSWER ME!”
Thirty-six seconds later, he wrote, “Your days are numbered, (expletive)!”
And 56 seconds after that, investigators said Pollard wrote, “GONNA (expletive) FIND YOU AND SKIN YOU ALIVE AND USE YOUR SKIN FOR (expletive) TOILET PAPER …”
He was indicted about six weeks later and charged with a felony.
According to Pollard’s sentencing documents, his actions were caused by a lapse in judgment on a night where he had consumed a couple of glasses of wine and a sedative and was scrolling social media following election news.
“Mr. Pollard is not a dangerous man. He is not a stalker, a serial harasser, or someone who poses an ongoing danger to anyone,” wrote his attorney, Katherine Dyer. “He is a man who, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety during one of the most charged political moments in recent American history, made a terrible decision.
“His conduct began and ended in a minute and a half.”
But Donna Reese, the victim of the crime who identified herself to TribLive and requested her name be used, said Pollard’s conduct impacted her for nearly a year and a half.
At the time, Reese said she was recovering from a double lung transplant, and the stress of the threats caused her to be in fear and a constant state of vigilance.
“I took every word he wrote seriously,” she wrote in her victim impact statement, especially in light of the Trump assassination attempts that year, and later after Charlie Kirk was killed.
“My first thought was, ‘Am I next?’” she wrote.
Reese asked the judge to order Pollard to prison.
“I hope you will send a strong message to the community there is zero tolerance for political threats,” she wrote.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, the defense argued that Pollard was entitled to a reduction in his sentence because his offense involved “a single instance evidencing little or no deliberation.”
Dyer called it a “10-minute span of someone’s otherwise law-abiding life.”
“Ten minutes is not a lot of time to deliberate,” she said.
But Bissoon disagreed.
“This escalation of these texts suggests there was deliberation,” the judge said. “I don’t care if it’s 10 minutes or 10 days. It is very deliberate.”
‘Social media took over his life’
Pollard grew up in Texas and moved to New York City in the early 1980s to work in theater as a stage manager, according to sentencing documents.
Ten family members and friends submitted letters to the court describing him as kind and caring, compassionate and non-violent.
He is a long-time volunteer with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a nonprofit within the theater community.
“John’s inherent kindness and considerate nature are fundamental to his character,” wrote his brother, Charles Pollard. “He has a capacity for compassion that extends beyond his immediate circle, and he has always (striven) to be a positive influence.”
Since his arrest, Dyer told the court that her client has worked hard to rebuild his life, including seeing a therapist.
“Through therapy, John has learned how to identify triggers – typically political – and how to cope with those triggers in a healthy way, like watching cooking shows instead of the negative news cycle,” Dyer wrote.
Pollard’s therapist also told the court that Pollard has demonstrated accountability for his actions and expressed genuine remorse.
Cara Morris, a friend of 35 years, told the court on Tuesday that she has watched “the guilt of his crime wrack his mind and body.”
“He was in a deep depression, and social media took over his life,” Morris said.
During the hearing, Pollard apologized to Reese and her loved ones, saying he is committed to abiding by the court’s orders.
“I’m deeply sorry for any harm I have caused to the victim,” he said.
‘Everybody’s a tough guy on a keyboard’
Reese, 61, said the incident with Pollard drove her, in part, to run for a state House seat representing Millcreek and Fairview townships in Erie County. She will be the lone Republican on the May 19 primary ballot. Incumbent state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, a Democrat from Millcreek, is also unopposed in the primary.
“I’m so disgusted with people’s behavior in politics, on both sides,” Reese said. “We need to stop the juvenile behavior.”
Reese said Pollard’s text messages were not the first time she’d been threatened through politics. It happened years ago when she served on her local school board, as well.
At the time of Pollard’s texts, Reese said, she was working for the state GOP as election integrity director for Trump Force for Erie County.
“I knew there were people out there who really were going unhinged,” she said. “I think we need people in government who will be leaders and will tamp down this hate. It’s both sides. Social media is definitely the downfall.
“Everybody’s a tough guy on a keyboard.”