GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Half of the people accused of participating in a fake elector scheme appeared in a Lansing court Tuesday.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges in July of 2023, saying the group of 15 people were "brainwashed" into believing former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. That includes former Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock.
Investigators say the group, which includes the Mayor of Wyoming Kent Vanderwood, met following the election and signed a document falsely stating they were the state's "duly elected and qualified electors."
Judge Kristen Simmons said Tuesday that due to the complexity and volume of evidence, they will split up the hearings into two different times.
Eight of the 15 charged appeared in court virtually or had their lawyer appear. The group learned their preliminary hearing will be in April. That includes:
- Clifford Frost
- Rose Rook
- Kenneth Thompson
- Maya Rodriguez
- William Choate
- Marian Sheridan
- Kent Vanderwood
- Stanley Grot
The other six defendants will continue their preliminary hearing on February 13 and 14. That includes the following:
- Meshawn Maddock
- Michele Lundgren
- John Haggard
- Mary-Ann Henry McQuarter
- Kathleen Berden
- Amy Facchinello
The final suspect, Timothy King, has been court ordered to undergo a mental competency exam.
The 16th suspect who was originally charged in the crime, James Renner, had his charges dropped back in October after he and the AG's office reached a deal.
The court is also working to plan to hear a motion in April by the prosecuting attorney, which includes a motion for all witnesses to be sequestered. This means they will be kept out of the courtroom while all evidence is presented.
The lawyer for Stanley Grot spoke Tuesday about two motions he plans to file before the court. The first is a motion to dismiss the case and the second is about more specific evidence. That is scheduled in March.
Vanderwood's attorney asked the court if they could pay a court reporter to come in and take notes during the February court hearings for them to use in their April hearing and the judge told them to file a motion.
Marian Sheridan's attorney asked the judge to be able to review transcripts from the February hearing as well, which would delay the hearing in April and the judge refused, saying she is not going to allow a transcript request to further delay the hearing.
Each of the 15 suspects face eight criminal charges, including multiple counts of forgery.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.