2 Political Operatives Arraigned In Michigan Thursday: AG

MICHIGAN — Two political operatives accused of voter intimidation turned themselves in to law enforcement at the Detroit Detention early Thursday morning and have been arraigned, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

Jack Burkman, 54, of Arlington, Virginia, and Jacob Wohl, 22, of Los Angeles, both arraigned in 36th District Court in Detroit on multiple felony charges, including intimidating voters, conspiring to commit an election law violation, using a computer to commit the crime of election law - intimidating voters, and using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy, Nessel said.

Burkman’s probable cause conference is scheduled for Oct. 15 and his preliminary exam is scheduled for Oct. 21 in front of Judge Roberta Archer. Wohl’s probable cause conference is scheduled for Oct. 15 and his preliminary exam is scheduled for Oct. 20 in front of Judge Kenneth King. Bail was set at $100,000 for both men, according to the AG's office.

If convicted, the maximum amount of prison time each of the accused could receive under law is 12 years, due to Michigan’s concurrent sentencing statutes, Nessel said.

Nessel filed felony charges Oct. 1 after her office conducted an investigation into allegations that the two political operatives orchestrated a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November general election.

Related: 2 Political Operatives Accused Of Michigan Voter Suppression Bid

The Michigan AG's office said that Burkman and Wohl attempted to deter electors from participating in the November election by creating and funding a robocall targeted at certain area codes, including Detroit and other major U.S. cities with significant minority populations.

Both Burkman and Wohl are considered conspiracy theorists with online followings.

The calls were made in late August and went out to nearly 12,000 residents with phone numbers in the 313 area code, according to Nessel.

It’s believed around 85,000 robocalls were made nationally, though an exact breakdown of the numbers of calls made to each city or state is not available, Nessel said.