Two right-wing activists pleaded guilty in Cleveland Monday to telecommunications fraud over false robocalls in Ohio ahead of the 2020 election, Axios reports. Jacob Wohl, 24, and Jack Burkman, 56, were indicted in 2020 in connection with a scheme that Cuyahoga County prosecutors said targeted thousands of minority voters with pre-recorded messages that falsely claimed they could face mandatory vaccines or be tracked by law enforcement if they voted by mail. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said voter intimidation would "not be tolerated" in the state.
Wohl, of Irvine, Ca., and Burkman, of Arlington, Va, have. gained national attention for stunts seeking to smear public officials. The Federal Communications Commission has announced plans to fine the pair $5 million and they're being sued in federal court in New York City after being accused of making threatening robocalls that N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James said were designed to suppress Black voters. Wohl and Burkman are appealing charges n Detroit stemming from a similar bogus robocall scheme targeting Black voters.