PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — The Oregon woman who was found guilty of sending violent threats to her coworkers online will spend six months and three weeks in federal prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon reported that 56-year-old Cottage Grove resident Elizabeth Ballestros West was sentenced on Tuesday .
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Officials said the FBI launched its investigation into West in late September 2023, when the bureau received an anonymous tip claiming that she had been threatening colleagues on Facebook.
Investigators found her profile on X, formerly known as Twitter, later in November. According to the Attorney’s Office, the woman would post and repost videos, statements and memes with violent messages about the Black community, Jewish people and immigrants.
The agency further alleged that “several” of her posts featured images of handguns, a shotgun and an AR-style assault rifle.
USAO said she confessed to sharing the violent messages and possessing multiple firearms in early January 2024.