Republican candidate for Attorney General Matthew DePerno claps during former President Donald Trump’s remarks during a Save America rally on October 1, 2022 in Warren, Michigan.
Emily Elconin | Getty Images
A former Republican attorney general candidate and one other supporter of former President Donald Trump have been criminally charged in Michigan in reference to accessing and tampering with voting machines after the 2020 election, in keeping with court records.
Matthew DePerno, a Republican lawyer who was endorsed by Trump in an unsuccessful run for Michigan attorney general last yr, was charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy, in keeping with Oakland County court records.
Daire Rendon, a former Republican state representative, was charged with conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine and false pretenses.
Each were arraigned remotely Tuesday afternoon, in keeping with Richard Lynch, the court administrator for Oakland County’s sixth Circuit.
Those charged in Michigan are the most recent facing legal consequences for alleged crimes committed after embracing Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
The fees come as the previous president is investigated for election interference in Georgia. Individually, Trump said in mid-July that he’s a goal of a federal investigation into efforts to overturn the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election.
DePerno, whose name was incorrectly listed as “DeParno,” in court records, was named as a “prime instigator” within the case. He couldn’t be reached by phone immediately for comment but has previously denied wrongdoing and has accused the state attorney general of “weaponizing her office.”
Five vote tabulators were taken from three counties in Michigan to a hotel room, in keeping with documents released last yr by Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office. Investigators found that the tabulators were broken into and “tests” were performed on the equipment. They said that DePerno was there.
Because Nessel ran against DePerno in 2022, she secured a special prosecutor who would not have a conflict of interest within the case and will operate independently.
That special prosecutor, D.J. Hilson, has been reviewing the investigation and considering charges since September. He convened a grand jury in March to find out whether criminal indictments needs to be issued, in keeping with court documents.
Charges were slow to are available the case, partially because prosecutors wanted clarification from a judge about what constitutes illegal possession of a voting machine. Among the defendants argued that local clerks gave them permission to take the machines.
In July, a state judge ruled that it is a felony to take a machine with no court order or permission directly from the Secretary of State’s office.
That felony is punishable by as much as five years in prison.
