2 Men Accused In Robocall Scheme Ordered To Rectify False Claims

MICHIGAN — The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ordered Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl to make curative robocalls to anyone who received an earlier robocall the two orchestrated to intimidate voters from participating in the election through mail-in ballots, the Michigan Attorney General's office said Wednesday.

The court ruled Wednesday morning ordering the two political operatives to arrange for a new robocall to be made to all recipients of an Aug. 26 voter intimidation robocall to correct the misinformation it contained, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

"We applaud the court’s order that these defendants be made to issue a new robocall to correct the misinformation they disseminated,” Nessel said. “Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy and all voters should be able to cast their ballot without confusion or fear.”

Related: 2 Political Operatives Arraigned In Michigan Thursday: AG

The new robocall, to be made by 5 p.m. ET Thursday must contain this message, Nessel's office said:

“At the direction of a United States district court, this call is intended to inform you that a federal court has found that the message you previously received regarding mail-in voting from Project 1599, a political organization founded by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, contained false information that has had the effect of intimidating voters, and thus interfering with the upcoming presidential election, in violation of federal voting-rights laws."

In his opinion, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York Victor Marrero, wrote: “Defendants intentionally reached into the homes of voters and raised the specter of arrest, financial distress, infirmity, and compulsory medical procedures. Not only did Defendants incite fears of these grim consequences, but they baselessly tied the prospects to mail-in voting. The result cannot be described as anything but deliberate interference with voters’ rights to cast their ballots in any legal manner they choose.”

Burkman, 54, and Wohl, 22, were arraigned on multiple felonies after authorities said they used a robocall targeted at urban areas with significant minority populations in an effort to intimidate voters. That case, filed by the Michigan Department of Attorney General, is pending in the 36th District Court in Detroit before Magistrate Joseph Boyer.

Related: 2 Political Operatives Accused Of Michigan Voter Suppression Bid

Charges were filed Oct. 1 in Michigan after Nessel's office investigated allegations that the two accused men orchestrated a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November general election, Nessel said.

Nessel's office said that Burkman and Wohl attempted to deter voters from participating in the upcoming general election by disseminating a robocall targeted at certain areas, including Detroit and other major U.S. cities with significant minority populations. The robocalls were made in late August and went out to nearly 12,000 residents in the Detroit area, according to Nessel. It is believed that about 85,000 robocalls were made nationally.

The caller, who claims to be associated with an organization founded by the Burkman and Wohl, falsely tells people that mail-in voting, in particular, will allow personal information to become part of a special database used by police to track down old warrants and by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts, according to Nessel's office.

The caller also claims the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use the information to track people for mandatory vaccines. However, none of the claims made in the robocall are true, Nessel said.