John Courtney Pollard, of Philadelphia, accused of threatening to kill and flay a campaign worker recruiting poll watchers for Election Day.

Federal authorities charged a Philadelphia man Monday with swearing to kill and flay a campaign worker who was looking for volunteers to work as poll watchers on Election Day — a case that officials say highlights growing concerns about the possibility of political violence in the state.

Prosecutors say John Courtney Pollard, 62, of Roxborough, responded to a social media post in September from the agent — and state political party employee — seeking to recruit people to monitor the elections.

The message included the officer’s cell phone number. But after initially texting to inquire about his registration, Pollard bombarded the party official with vulgar text messages, including one in which he threatened to “skin you alive and use your skin for f-toilet paper.” , according to court documents filed in his case. .

Authorities did not immediately identify the victim or the political party she worked for. They also did not say in court filings whether the agent was recruiting poll watchers in Pennsylvania or another state.

Pollard, who describes himself in his LinkedIn profile as a stage manager for a number of recent productions by Philadelphia’s Quintessence Theater Group, has been registered as a Democrat in Pennsylvania since at least 2022, according to state records.

He faces one count of threatening via interstate communications in a case unsealed Monday in federal court in Pittsburgh. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

It was not immediately clear from court filings whether Pollard had retained an attorney.

This is a developing story and will be updated.