Two right-wing operatives dodged jail time on Monday as they were sentenced to one year of probation for their role in a racist robocall scheme targeting Detroit voters. The scheme, which began in late August 2020, aimed to suppress turnout among Black voters by spreading false information about voting by mail.
Jack Burkman, 59, and Jacob Wohl, 27, pleaded no contest to charges including bribing or intimidating voters, conspiracy to commit an election law violation, using a computer to commit election law intimidation, and using a computer to commit conspiracy. The robocall campaign was designed to make people believe that personal information used on mail-in ballots could lead to arrests for outstanding arrest warrants or be used to collect unpaid credit card debts.
The automated message also falsely claimed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could use the information to track people for mandatory vaccines, further targeting voters. The robocall campaign was a blatant example of voter suppression in a majority-Black city.
The case drew strong condemnation from Attorney General Dana Nessel, who personally appeared at the hearing and called on the defendants to be held accountable for their actions. "The defendants' conduct used every racist dog whistle - fear of incarceration, fear of the government and fear of one's benefits being taken away - to steal the most fundamental right that we often take for granted: the right to vote," Nessel said.
Burkman and Wohl still face consequences elsewhere, including a separate civil action in New York where they agreed to pay up to $1.25 million for similar voter suppression robocalls in multiple states.
Jack Burkman, 59, and Jacob Wohl, 27, pleaded no contest to charges including bribing or intimidating voters, conspiracy to commit an election law violation, using a computer to commit election law intimidation, and using a computer to commit conspiracy. The robocall campaign was designed to make people believe that personal information used on mail-in ballots could lead to arrests for outstanding arrest warrants or be used to collect unpaid credit card debts.
The automated message also falsely claimed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could use the information to track people for mandatory vaccines, further targeting voters. The robocall campaign was a blatant example of voter suppression in a majority-Black city.
The case drew strong condemnation from Attorney General Dana Nessel, who personally appeared at the hearing and called on the defendants to be held accountable for their actions. "The defendants' conduct used every racist dog whistle - fear of incarceration, fear of the government and fear of one's benefits being taken away - to steal the most fundamental right that we often take for granted: the right to vote," Nessel said.
Burkman and Wohl still face consequences elsewhere, including a separate civil action in New York where they agreed to pay up to $1.25 million for similar voter suppression robocalls in multiple states.
The fact that they dodged jail time is just crazy. I mean, who tries to suppress votes from a whole community like that? It's just so... racist. 
And the ways they tried to intimidate people - with fake arrest threats and vaccine scams - that's just despicable.
The real victims here are the people who got targeted by these robocalls - they deserve justice.
Those guys are lucky, I guess. One year of probation? It's like they just got a slap on the wrist. They were trying to suppress votes and spread lies about voting by mail, all because they wanted to make it harder for Black people to participate in the democratic process. The robocalls were ridiculous, using stuff about arrest warrants and credit card debt to scare people into not voting. It's like they thought voters were stupid or something.
Can't believe these two got off scot-free! One year of probation? That's basically a slap on the wrist for trying to suppress votes from Black people in Detroit. I mean, what would happen if they did that in a white suburb? The justice system is so messed up right now... 
The fact that they used racist dog whistles is just disgusting. It's like, we're trying to vote for a better future, and they're trying to scare us away? 
I'm glad at least one person stood up to them, like the AG, Dana Nessel. She was totally on point 
. And it's not just here in Detroit, either - they did this stuff in other states too... it's just not cool 
.
The fact that they used fear tactics to intimidate people into not voting is disgusting. 
And what really gets my goat is that they thought they could get away with it because they're from the right wing and people would just let them off scot-free 
This is a total example of how voter suppression works in America and it needs to stop ASAP. 
like what is wrong with them? spreading false info about voting and trying to scare people out of the booth just because they're racist 
and wanted to suppress Black voters, it's a total disaster! I'm so glad that AG Nessel was all up in here calling them out for their shady tactics, but still 1 year probation is like, what even is that? 
shouldn't they be facing some real consequences? anyway, good on the people who are taking these guys to court and making them pay for their wrongdoings... 
. The fact that these two operatives thought they could just spread lies about voting by mail to suppress turnout among Black voters is disgusting 
.
. I hope that we can learn from this and make sure something like this never happens again 
. And the fact that they thought they could do this and get off scot-free is just appalling.
. These guys might have gotten away with it this time but they'll probably face consequences elsewhere too. Still, the message is clear: we can't let people try to silence voters like that 
.
. And they're not even sorry 
.
. She called out their racist tactics for what they were: a blatant attempt to manipulate people into not exercising their right to vote 
. But I wish they could've gotten some real justice 
.
but i guess its good that they got held accountable in a way and are facing other consequences too 
the thing thats still puzzling me tho, is how this didnt happen sooner? like didnt anyone else catch on to what was happening? 
. And what's with the fact that they're still facing consequences elsewhere? Like, why not just make it simple and let them take responsibility for their actions? 
.
Can you believe these two right-wing operatives think they can just play with people's democracy like that?