US Edition2 conservative operatives get probation for robocalls to discourage Black Detroit voters in 2020
Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman received one year probation after pleading no contest to voter intimidation and conspiracy in a scheme targeting Black Detroit voters by mail.
- On Monday, Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman were each sentenced to a year of probation by Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houten following a negotiated agreement.
- Authorities say the messages targeted urban Metro Detroit areas, warning Black Detroit voters they could be hounded if voting by mail, with a recorded robocall line stating `Don't be finessed into giving your private information to the man`.
- In August, the defendants pleaded no contest to voter intimidation, conspiracy and computer crimes, with defense attorneys noting five years of court supervision and prior 2022 Ohio sanctions including 500 community service hours and telecommunications fraud pleas.
- They agreed in 2024 to pay up to $1.25 million in a New York settlement, and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the men `used every racist dog whistle imaginable` to intimidate voters.
- Authorities across multiple states reported similar calls in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois, with investigators alleging more than 85,000 messages were sent nationwide in a multistate effort.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Operatives Sentenced in Scheme Targeting Black Voters
Two political operatives sentenced Monday to a year of probation for their role in a robocall campaign that spread false information to thousands of Detroit-area voters ahead of the 2020 election. Jacob Wohl and John "Jack" Burkman accused of creating the calls, which targeted primarily Black voters and claimed that...
Associated Press News
2 conservative operatives get probation for robocalls to discourage Black Detroit voters in 2020
Two conservative political operatives have been sentenced to probation a scheme to discourage Black Detroit voters from voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election.
Right-wing operatives sentenced in racist robocall scheme targeting Detroit voters
Two right-wing political operatives who orchestrated a racist robocall campaign to suppress turnout among Black voters in Detroit dodged jail time Monday and were sentenced to one year of probation. Jack Burkman, 59, and Jacob Wohl, 27, pleaded no contest to felony charges for creating and funding a series of robocalls in 2020 that pushed falsehoods about voting by mail.
MAGA robo-callers sentenced for intimidating Michigan voters
Getty ImagesJack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, two out-of-state conservative activists who pleaded no contest to orchestrating a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote of Black residents in Detroit, were sentenced to one year of probation on Monday by a Wayne County judge. Burkman and Wohl were initially charged with actions aimed at suppressing the vote during the 2020 general election. The no contest pleas and the subsequent sentencing ag…
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