Almost 12,000 Detroit residents were subjected to a robocall full of misinformation about mail-in voting. | Stock Photo
Almost 12,000 Detroit residents were subjected to a robocall full of misinformation about mail-in voting. | Stock Photo
After a preliminary hearing, the case of two men charged with felonies relating to election law in Michigan is going forward to trial at Wayne Count Circuit Court.
Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office brought criminal charges against Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl in October after finding evidence that the men orchestrated robocalls, which allegedly were meant to intimidate voters by trying to deter them from voting in the general election, according to Michigan.gov.
In the preliminary hearing, Detroit District Court Judge Kenneth King ruled the case had merit and assigned it to a circuit judge.
The calls went out in late August to an estimated 12,000 residents in the Detroit area and other major U.S. cities, all with substantial minority populations, according to Michigan.gov.
The robocalls feature claims that information included in mail-in ballots will be added to a database used by police to track down outstanding warrants and by credit card companies for debt collection. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use the information to implement mandatory vaccines. All claims in the calls are false, according to the Michigan Attorney General's office.
The robocall ruse garnered the accused charges on conspiracy to commit an election law violation, a felony punishable by up to five years, and using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy and the crime of intimidating voters, both felonies punishable by up to seven years.
Earlier, a civil suit brought by a group including the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation resulted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordering a “curative” robocall be sent out to residents previously called, according to Michigan.gov. The curative calls went out Oct. 30.
The Attorney General’s office is encouraging anyone who received one of the original calls and wants to file a complaint to contact the office at 517-335-7650.
The accused, both residents of Arlington, Virginia, are slated to appear before Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday, Nov. 12, likely through videoconferencing to comply with COVID-19 regulations.
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