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Community reacts after Nessel charges 16 people with election fraud, including Wyoming mayor and former GOP chair

Wyoming Mayor Kent Vanderwood and former Michigan GOP Chair Meshawn Maddock are among the 16 accused of election fraud.

MICHIGAN, USA — Political organizations and community members are reacting after 16 people, including the current Wyoming mayor, were charged with election fraud by Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Nessel announced the charges Tuesday. Notable people from the group include the current Mayor of Wyoming Kent Vanderwood, former Van Buren County Chair Rose Rook, and former Michigan GOP Chair Meshawn Maddock.

Nessel says all 16 are accused of meeting in the basement of the Michigan Republican Party headquarters on Dec, 14, 2020, and signing documents claiming they were the state's electors.

These false documents were then submitted to the United States Senate and National Archives in a coordinated effort to award the state's electoral votes to Donald Trump, despite the state being won by President Joe Biden.

Constitutional law professor Michael McDaniel with Western Michigan University's Cooley School of Law broke down some of the biggest charges.

"Attorney General Dana Nessel has focused only on the actions in the state of Michigan where these 16 false electors certified these documents, which was a forgery," he said. "It has been charged as election law forgery, it's been charged as forgery of a public document, and they've been charged with conspiracy."

Mary Mertinovich, a Wyoming resident, learned about the charges from 13 ON YOUR SIDE on Tuesday night. She said she knows Vanderwood and doesn't believe he could have a role in the scheme. 

"This is a god-fearing man," Mertinovich said. "I don't know what the thing is going on, but I would have a very difficult time believing that it's true."

Progress Michigan, a left-wing political organization, has a different view on the charges. In a statement, Executive Director Sam Inglet said in part: "These alleged false electors didn't attack with flag poles and mace, they used shady legal tactics and lies to try to bulldoze over the will of the people to hold onto political power."

Each person charged faces the following:

  • One count of Conspiracy to Commit Forgery, a 14-year felony 
  • Two counts of Forgery, a 14-year felony
  • One count of Conspiracy to Commit Uttering and Publishing, a 14-year felony
  • One count of Uttering and Publishing, a 14-year felony
  • One count of Conspiracy to Commit Election Law Forgery, a 5-year felony 
  • Two counts of Election Law Forgery, a 5-year felony

The Michigan Department of Attorney General says that they have not ruled out more charges against additional defendants.

All of the defendants will appear at the 54-A District Court in Ingham County for individual arraignments. No date for the arraignments has been set.

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