Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) charged Trump campaign aide Michael Roman and attorneys Kenneth Chesbrough and James Trubis with one count each. Forgery, according to criminal complaints.
Kaul said at a news conference on the steps of the state Capitol that his investigation could result in more charges. When asked about the possibility of charges against the former president, Kaul said, “As I said, I am not going to talk to any particular person, but the investigation is going on and decisions will be taken based on facts and law. Not in the identity of any individual.”
If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. They are scheduled to make an initial court appearance in September, and their cases will last past this fall’s election unless they reach plea deals.
Troupis and Chesebro did not immediately respond to messages. Roman’s attorney, Kurt Altman, said he and Roman have just learned of the allegations and are reviewing them.
After losing the 2020 election in Wisconsin, Trump sought to redistrict in two Democratic areas of the state and used that process to expel hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots. The state Supreme Court rejected his efforts on December 14, 2020, the day presidential electors across the country meet.
An hour after that ruling, 10 Republicans gathered at the state Capitol and signed documents declaring themselves the state’s true voters. Trump associates held similar meetings in six other states, then sent official-looking documents to Congress, the National Archives and others claiming to be real voters in their states.
Trump’s supporters used the filings to try to prevent Congress from certifying the results, falsely claiming the outcome of the 2020 election was in doubt. Their efforts culminated in an attack on the US capital on January 6, 2021.
Trubis, Chesbro and Roman helped develop the voter strategy, according to public records. Troupis served a short term as a judge and has long been an advocate for Wisconsin Republicans; He was Trump’s lead attorney for the recount and legal challenge in Wisconsin.
Chesebro helped devise the overall plan and documented the Wisconsin meeting on his cell phone with photos and recordings. He wrote memos to Trubis after the election that provided a framework for Republicans to meet in states Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Chesbro was charged with fraud and other crimes in Georgia last year. And pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to file false documents as part of a deal.
Roman served as Trump’s director of Election Day operations in 2020, and in that role helped coordinate plans for Republicans to meet with voters in states Trump lost. He has been charged with racketeering and other crimes in Georgia and conspiracy, racketeering and other crimes in Arizona. He pleaded not guilty in Georgia and is expected to do so in Arizona the same Friday.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) issued a one-word statement about the allegations: “Good.”
Wisconsin’s attorney general took a slower and more targeted approach to his investigation than those in other states. Unlike his colleagues, Kaul did not charge any of the 10 Wisconsin Republicans who signed election papers, but instead went after those who had arranged to meet with them.
Among the signatories to the document was Andrew Hitt, chairman of the state Republican Party at the time. In December, he said he and others had been “deceived and misled into participating in an alternative election program, and if we had known there were ulterior motives beyond protecting the ongoing legal strategy, we would have taken no action.”
Hitt made the comments after reaching a settlement with two of the state’s actual voters who filed lawsuits against Republicans. Under the settlement, Hitt and the others agreed not to serve as voters any time Trump was on the ballot, and told the National Archives to revoke their false documents claiming they were voters.
Trubis and Chesbro reached a separate settlement in that case in March. As part of the deal, they released hundreds of pages of documents about the effort.
Yvonne Winget Sanchez in Phoenix contributed to this report.
