AG Nessel Files Felony Charges Against Jack Burkman, Jacob Wohl in Voter-Suppression Robocalls

[brooklynite]

Source: Michigan.Gov

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed charges today against two political operatives for allegedly orchestrating a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November general election.

Jack Burkman, 54, and Jacob Wohl, 22, are each charged with:

One count of election law – intimidating voters, a five-year felony;
One count of conspiracy to commit an election law violation, a five-year felony;
One count of using a computer to commit the crime of election law – intimidating voters, a seven-year felony; and
Using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy, a seven-year felony.

The charges were filed today in the 36th District Court in Detroit. Arraignment is pending for the defendants. The Attorney General’s office will be working – with local law enforcement if necessary – to secure the appearance of each defendant in Michigan. It’s too early to say if formal extradition will be necessary or if they will present themselves here voluntarily in the very near future.

Burkman, an Arlington, Virginia resident, and Wohl, a Los Angeles, California resident, allegedly attempted to discourage voters from participating in the general election by creating and funding a robocall targeted at certain urban areas, including Detroit. The calls were made in late August and went out to nearly 12,000 residents with phone numbers from the 313 area code.


Read more: https://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-359-92297_99936-541052--,00.html

[BootinUp]

1. Wonder if the accused are worried.

I sure would be.

[Hortensis]

4. Not nearly enough. 5 years is in no way proportional to the

injury to society. We need real sentences proportional to the crime and thus genuinely deterrent. Including potential permanent disenfranchisement and eligibility for office for serious offenders. Brian Kemp should not have been able to take office even if the voters were willing to have him serve from prison.

[HuskyOffset]

11. I counted a possible 24 years

if convicted of all four charges and given maximum non-concurrent sentences.

[Hortensis]

12. Yes, but big ifs. We've seen that notions of what's appropriate

are very different for white collar felons whom judges and prosecutors might have associated with in society, or of a level they might have aspired to. Not really...criminals. Certainly sentences appropriate for real, lower criminals are not appropriate for them.

[DFW]

23. That is true in general, but remember the name Tom Noe

After the 2004 election, he was their sacrificial lamb, and because he was also involved in another white collar case they let Republican Ohio throw the book at him, and he served almost 14 years of 18 years of consecutive sentences.

[Hortensis]

25. :) Yes. And let's remember Martha Stewart also.

Noe was a rare white male Republican, not a woman or a black congressman imagining election conferred the protections his colleagues in the white man's club enjoyed.

Apparently these two Republican operatives have been doing this in a number of states, so hopefully they won't be back at it in a couple years.

[DFW]

26. This goes back some 40 years

But I actually knew Tom Noe. Our paths used to cross on a regular basis. He was always sort of a wannabe, and I can well imagine that if it meant he could hang with Rove and Bush (Cheney would have seen right through him), he would have done what he was told was bending the rules without breaking them. He had similar attitudes toward his personal life with predictable consequences when I knew him, but that was a long time ago, so maybe he outgrew that. I’ll bet he never saw it coming that his beloved Republicans would let him rot in jail as an expendable example. I wonder how he feels about them now, after being left to rot in jail for 14 years?

[Hortensis]

27. Well, that "wannabe" probably explains being left to rot.

Sounds like he lacked the useful talents that might have lead to a lifetime appointment in the judiciary instead.

Being left to rot reminds me of Ken Starr's "reward" for service of exile far from power to a job at Pepperdine University. that that initially fell through when Richard Mellon Scaife became offended that his swiftboating didn't frame the Clintons for murdering Vince Foster. A few scraps thrown after that, Fox appearances his only distant connection to what might have been. All to the public good, of course, that this scumbag didn't end up on SCOTUS like his assistant Kavanaugh.

[DFW]

28. The thought of Tom Noe as a member of the judiciary is unnerving

I heard that in prison, he "got religion" and became a Jesus freak. After a young married life of business trips where he considered them a failure if he didn't score at the local disco, it seems a little "after the horse has left the barn," but it is seldom that I talk with Republicans who have a constant set of morals that I can relate to.

[Hortensis]

32. :) Unnerving. He sounds a lot like a type we've known also.

Several over the decades, whose sleazy behaviors destroyed their lives but subsequently (or previously or concurrently) found God. The sleazier and more unstable the character turned out to be, the more likely fundamental the religion and more intense the professed devotion.

"It is seldom that I talk with Republicans who have a constant set of morals that I can relate to."

You and us both. We've made good friends here in GA who are genuinely fine, and intelligent, people in many respects -- even though they voted for Trump and will again. (As opposed to others too mean and/or closed minded to ever be friends with us.) Any of our friends'd be here in an instant to help if we needed them, it's part of who they are, but the merest mention of right or wrong in public policy suddenly finds us on opposite rims of a Grand Canyon-size rift. So we don't.

[Leghorn21]

2. Felonies GALORE, idiots!!

Super delightful IT'S -ABOUT-DAMN-TIME news!!!

[tblue37]

3. Frankly, I don't really understand why they both are not in prison already.

[pwb]

6. Like Trump they have lawyers paid for

by the pukes. This might stick though. Fingers crossed.

[DENVERPOPS]

17. If they were dems

They would already be in SuperMax

[Initech]

5. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Adding a link:

Hat tip, Joe.My.God.

BREAKING: Michigan AG Hits Jacob Wohl And Jack Burkman With Multiple Felony Charges For Robocalls
October 1, 2020

Jack Burkman, Jacob Wohl Charged in Alleged Voter Suppression Scheme

DEVELOPING

The Michigan Attorney General said the notorious operatives targeted “urban areas with significant minority populations.”

Pilar Melendez Reporter | Will Sommer
Updated Oct. 01, 2020 5:50PM ET / Published Oct. 01, 2020 5:23PM ET

Conservative operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman were charged on Thursday for allegedly orchestrating a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November presidential election, Michigan authorities said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a slew of charges against Burkman, 54, and Wohl, 22, including conspiracy to commit an election law violation and using a computer to commit the crime of election law. Prosecutors allege the two political operatives were using a robocall system aimed at scaring Detroit voters away from using mail-in voting ballots. The calls, which were made in August, went out to nearly 12,000 Detroit residents.

{snip}

[Blue Owl]

8. To the klink with these kooks

n/t

[jpak]

9. Lock em up

Yup

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. Allegedly perpetrated in 4 states - including Illinois

Kim Bellware Retweeted

Allegedly perpetrated in 4 states - including Illinois

Link to tweet

[johnthewoodworker]

13. During the Nixon years weren't these type of people called 'rat fuckers'.

[Marie Marie]

14. Indeed. Now let's hope we can also call them convicted felons.

Enough with their childish antics - this is long overdue.

[llmart]

15. Dana Nessel is one sharp and tough cookie.

Way to go, Ms. Nessel! Put these crooks behind bars.

Looks like the Dems will be the ones "draining the swamp".

We are so fortunate to have her in Michigan.

[DeminPennswoods]

30. Maddow reported on this last night

AG Nessel coordinated with the other state AG's where Wohl had pulled this stunt, including our PA Atty Genl Shapiro. She should have a strong case.

[llmart]

31. Thanks for that info.

These right wingers need to be kept busy fighting for their lives in court and using up whomever's money that backs their shananigans.

The fact that the AG's are working together is great.

[marble falls]

16. Please handcuff and perpwalk these two!!!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

18. Here're the felony complaints against Burkman and Wohl.

DebatHat Retweeted

Here're the felony complaints against Burkman and Wohl.

https://michigan.gov/documents/ag/Burkman-Wohl_complaint_Redacted_704071_7.pdf

Link to tweet

BTW, according to the Michigan AG, she learned during the investigation that similar robocalls were made in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,

and Illinois.

So this may only be the start of Burkman and Wohl's problems.

Link to tweet

/3 that earlier tweet was deleted; here’s the link to the Michigan AG press release.

https://michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-359-92297_99936-541052--,00.html

Link to tweet

[Grokenstein]

19. LOCK THEM UP!!

...What? Sauce for the goose, rightwankers!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

20. We should be on the lookout for Craigslist ads seeking an actor to play the role of ...

We should be on the lookout for Craigslist ads seeking an actor to play the role of the scorned lover of the Michigan Attorney General at a press conference to be held at a Ramada Inn.

Link to tweet

[calimary]

21. LOCK 'EM UP!!!

[roamer65]

22. That's my AG.

I voted for her in 2018.

[Coventina]

24. How are these creeps not in jail already?

Hopefully this will finally do it...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

29. Dave Weigel writes:

Give us any chance we'll take it
Read us any rule we'll break it
We're going to make our dreams come true

Link to tweet

[ck4829]

33. Kick