(NewsSpace.com) – When President Joe Biden won the election in 2020, there were a lot of calls for recounts and lawsuits filed alleging that he was not the real winner. Some people went even further than just grumbling and took on the role of “fake electors,” people who tried to certify the win in former President Donald Trump’s favor. Now, authorities are taking steps against those who allegedly filed false instruments.
On Wednesday, December 6, a Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans who claimed to be electors on felony charges. Included among those indicted are the chairman and vice chairman of the state party, Michael J. McDonald and Jim Hindle. The other four charged are members of the Douglas County Republican Party, Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice, national committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, and Jesse Law, chairman of the Clark County Republican Party.
The charges levied against the fake electors include uttering a forged instrument and offering a false instrument for filing. These are both felony counts that carry a hefty fine—$5,000 and $10,000, respectively—and up to four or five years in prison, respectively. State Attorney General Aaron D. Ford said the “indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation,” and he is pursuing charges because they “cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged,” per The New York Times.
Nevada isn’t the only state to pursue charges against fake electors. Back in July, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges against 16 Republicans, including Meshawn Maddock, who used to co-chair the Michigan Republican Party. Each has been charged with eight felony counts, which include conspiracy to commit forgery and forgery. One agreed to a deal and had charges dropped.
Wisconsin’s slate of alternate electors was recently sued in civil court. The 10 settled a civil lawsuit and admitted their complicity in the plot. In Georgia, 16 people were charged, and district attorneys in Arizona and New Mexico are also investigating the possibility of bringing charges.
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