Right-wing conspiracy theorists Jacob Wohl, 22, and Jack Burkman, 54, are indicted in Ohio for 'robocalls intimidating mail-in voters with false warnings of arrest, debt collection or forced vaccination' after similar charges in Michigan
Two far-right conspiracy theorists were indicted for fraud in Ohio on Tuesday after allegedly attempting a robocall scam to intimidate minority voters across the Midwest.
Jacob Wohl, 22, and Jack Burkman, 54, were already charged in Michigan earlier this month with felonies in connection to the robocalls that aimed to dissuade residents in Detroit and other Democratic US cities from voting by mail.
In total, more than 85,000 calls were believed to have been made across the nation in late August.
The men have a history of staging hoaxes and spreading false smears against prominent Democrats and government officials.
They rose to notoriety for inept attempts to manufacture sexual assault allegations against the likes of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
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Jacob Wohl, 22, pictured with President Trump. He was indicted in Ohio Tuesday with allegedly attempting a robocall scam to intimidate minority voters across the Midwest
GOP Lobbyist Jack Burkman was also indicted with involvement in the scam
As the charges were filed in Michigan on October 1, Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge noted that similar calls had been received in Cleveland, according to Clevescene.
The case was referred to local prosecutors by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office.
The conservative operatives now face eight counts of telecommunications fraud and seven counts of bribery in Cuyahoga County for the same botched scheme.
A warrant for their arrest has been issued and the Ohio charges carry a possible 18 years in prison if the pair are found guilty.
'The right to vote is the most fundamental component of our nation's democracy. These individuals clearly infringed upon that right in a blatant attempt to suppress votes and undermine the integrity of this election,' Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael O'Malley said in a statement
'These actions will not be tolerated. Anyone who interferes with others' right to vote must be held accountable.
'I commend Attorney General Dave Yost and his staff for their diligent work on this investigation. We urge all citizens to get out and vote. Do not let these individuals or others like them succeed. Exercise your right and get out and VOTE!' O'Malley added.
As part of the scheme, residents in majority-black Detroit and cities in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois received calls telling them that if they vote by mail in the November 3 election they could be subjected to arrest, debt collection and forced vaccination, investigators said.
On August 26, 2020, Wohl and Burkman are accused of using a voice broadcasting service to place at least 67,000 calls across several Midwest states.
Clevescene reports that up to ten percent of the calls were made in the Cleveland area.
At least 3,400 of those calls were answered by a live person or voicemail, according to a statement from Cuyahoga County.
The pair was indicted in Ohio on bribery and fraud charges on Tuesday
Jack Burkman, pictured left, and Jacob Wohl, pictured right, speak to the media in 2018 about allegations they made against Robert Mueller. They have carried out several failed stunts to cast opponents of President Donald Trump as rapists, criminals or deviants
The Michigan Department of State released an example of one of the calls to warn voters.
The recording hears a black woman warning that if voters mailed in their ballots, they risked being fooled by 'the man'.
'If you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used for credit card companies to collect outstanding debts,' the call said.
'The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) is even pushing to… track people for mandatory vaccines.'
The voice on the robocall in question is alleged to have identified itself as part of 'a civil rights organization founded by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl'.
'Don't be finessed into giving your private information to the man,' the caller said. 'Beware of vote by mail.'
Wohl is facing felony charges in a third state over alleged violations of securities laws in California. He is pictured outside the Supreme Court in September cheering the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
As well as the charges faced in Michigan, the duo have also been sued in New York in a civil lawsuit by people who received the call.
They deny their involvement and have previously claimed to have been framed.
In August, Wohl told The Associated Press that they suspected 'leftist pranksters' were behind the robocalls because recipients were shown a caller ID that was Burkman's mobile number.
Burkman called the situation 'a joke,' saying nobody would use their mobile number for a robocall and threatening to sue for defamation.
However, according to the Daily Beast, prosecutors in the Michigan case intend to call the owner of a robocall company as a witness, who will testify that they used his service.
They also claim to have an email from Wohl organizing the call scripts.
Wohl, a resident of Los Angeles, has been banned from most social networks, including Twitter and Instagram, for operating fake accounts and peddling misinformation.
He is facing felony charges in a third state over alleged violations of securities laws in California.
The FBI are also investigating the both over the leak of juror questionnaires in the trial of former Trump adviser Roger Stone, the Daily Beast reports.
The pair made a name for themselves for orchestrating political dirty tricks and hoaxes on President Donald Trump's political opponents.
The stunts often attempt to paint their designated targets as rapists, criminals or deviants – even frequently using hired actors who were unaware that they were being used for political stunts.
In this screen grab from video provided by the 36th District Court in Detroit, Jacob Wohl, left, and Jack Burkman are seen during an arraignment being conducted over Zoom in Michigan earlier in October. They face felony charges linked to a robocall scam across the Midwest
Burkman and Wohl turned themselves into law enforcement at the Detroit Detention Center and appeared in court, pictured, where they were arraigned on voter intimidation charges
Such failed schemes have targeted the likes of vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, former special counsel Robert Mueller and Elizabeth Warren, each with elaborate conspiracy theories which were all discredited almost as quickly as they arose.
Just last month, the Washington Post said that it was duped into falsely reporting that FBI agents had conducted a raid at Burkman's home in Arlington, Virginia, when it was actually a staged event featuring actors.
The charge earlier this month wasn't the first time the two have come under scrutiny in Michigan.
The Washington Post said that it was duped into falsely reporting that FBI agents had conducted a raid at Jack Burkman's, pictured, home in Arlington, Virginia, when it was actually a staged event featuring actors
Last year, a Michigan college student said the duo recruited him to falsely claim he was raped by Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and then published the smear without the student's permission.
The pair will appear in court in Ohio on the new charges on a later date.
Their bond in Michigan was set at $100,000. The charges they face there carry the potential for years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines upon conviction.
Michigan is a key battleground state that Trump narrowly won in 2016 in part due to a drop in turnout for Hillary Clinton in heavily Democratic Detroit.
In Michigan, voters can cast an absentee ballot for any reason, either by mailing it in, dropping it off or filling one out at a clerk's office.
'We're all well aware of the frustrations caused by the millions of nuisance robocalls flooding our cellphones and landlines each day, but this particular message poses grave consequences for our democracy and the principles upon which it was built,' Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
'Michigan voters are entitled to a full, free and fair election in November, and my office will not hesitate to pursue those who jeopardize that.'
She encouraged anyone who received such a call to file a complaint with her office.