(WXYZ) — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced charges against 16 Michigan residents for their role in the "false electors" plan surrounding the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Her office released the following list of those charged in connection with the case:
- Kathy Berden, 70, of Snover
- William (Hank) Choate, 72, of Cement City
- Amy Facchinello, 55, of Grand Blanc
- Clifford Frost, 75, of Warren
- Stanley Grot, 71, of Shelby Township
- John Haggard, 82, of Charlevoix
- Mary-Ann Henry, 65, of Brighton
- Timothy King, 56, of Ypsilanti
- Michele Lundgren, 73, of Detroit
- Meshawn Maddock, 55, of Milford
- James Renner, 76, of Lansing
- Mayra Rodriguez, 64, of Grosse Pointe Farms
- Rose Rook, 81, of Paw Paw
- Marian Sheridan, 69, of West Bloomfield
- Ken Thompson, 68, of Orleans
- Kent Vanderwood, 69, of Wyoming
Each has been charged with the following:
- One count of conspiracy to commit forgery, a 14-year felony
- Two counts of forgery, a 14-year felony
- One count of conspiracy to commit uttering and publishing, a 14-year felony
- One count of uttering and publishing, a 14-year felony
- One count of conspiracy to commit election law forgery, a five-year felony
- Two counts of election law forgery, a five-year felony
Nessel's office accuses the defendants of meeting covertly in the basement of the Michigan Republican Party's headquarters on Dec. 14 and signing their names to multiple certificates saying they "were the 'duly elected and qualified electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America for the State of Michigan.'”
The certificates were then sent to the United States Senate and the National Archives "in a coordinated effort to award the state’s electoral votes to the candidate of their choosing, in place of the candidates actually elected by the people of Michigan."
“The false electors’ actions undermined the public’s faith in the integrity of our elections and, we believe, also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan,” Nessel said in a news release. "My department has prosecuted numerous cases of election law violations throughout my tenure, and it would be malfeasance of the greatest magnitude if my department failed to act here in the face of overwhelming evidence of an organized effort to circumvent the lawfully cast ballots of millions of Michigan voters in a presidential election.”
The evidence will demonstrate there was no legal authority for the false electors to purport to act as "duly elected presidential electors’ and execute the false electoral documents,” Nessel continued. “Every serious challenge to the election had been denied, dismissed, or otherwise rejected by the time the false electors convened. There was no legitimate legal avenue or plausible use of such a document or an alternative slate of electors. There was only the desperate effort of these defendants, who we have charged with deliberately attempting to interfere with and overturn our free and fair election process, and along with it, the will of millions of Michigan voters. That the effort failed and democracy prevailed does not erase the crimes of those who enacted the false electors plot.”
The AG's office says the defendants or their attorneys have been notified of the charges. Arraignments will be scheduled in 54-A District Court in Ingham County.
Nessel's office says the investigation remains ongoing and they have not ruled out potential charges against additional defendants.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson released a statement Tuesday after the charges were announced:
“I was pleased to learn of the felony charges filed today against 16 individuals who allegedly sought to disenfranchise Michigan voters and disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election by submitting fake electoral votes.
"As Michigan’s Chief Election Officer, I have a sworn duty to follow the rule of law, protect and defend the legal vote of every Michigan citizen, and ensure our elections are safe, secure, and accurate.
"As we begin to see accountability and justice for those who were part of an actionable plan to subvert the will of the people in 2020, we must also remember that we are still in the midst of a nationally coordinated effort to weaken democracy. As we prepare for the 2024 presidential election, today’s charges are the first in an ongoing effort to not just seek justice for the wrongs of the past, but to ensure they do not happen again.
"My office looks forward to fully cooperating with any subsequent legal efforts to bring those who violated the law to justice."
