Wisconsin has filed felony charges against three former advisers of ex-President Donald J. Trump in connection with a fake electors scheme in 2020. This makes Wisconsin the fifth battleground state to prosecute Trump’s allies for their efforts to overturn his defeat that year.
The individuals charged include Kenneth Chesebro, who was involved in the Trump campaign’s plans to appoint fake electors in states Trump lost, James R. Troupis, a former judge working for the campaign in Wisconsin, and Michael Roman, Trump’s director of Election Day operations.
All three are facing a single count of forgery-uttering, a felony in Wisconsin carrying a penalty of up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
During a news conference in Madison, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul stated that the state’s investigation into the matter is ongoing. He did not provide further details on the charges, which were outlined in complaints filed in Dane County Circuit Court.
A total of 52 individuals have been charged in criminal cases across five states related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. This group includes Trump, who was indicted in Georgia under state law and faces a federal election-interference case. He was also named as an unindicted co-conspirator in Michigan.
Several defendants have pleaded guilty or reached cooperation deals, including Chesebro, who pleaded guilty in a racketeering indictment in Georgia and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
In one of the criminal complaints, the investigator described the defendants’ roles in drafting and circulating a certificate signed by Trump’s Wisconsin allies, falsely claiming the fake electors were duly appointed.
The complaint alleged that the defendants participated in a covert effort to circulate the document before a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, which was disrupted by a mob of Trump’s supporters.
Wisconsin is the third state to charge Roman, after Georgia and Arizona. Troupis has drawn attention for recruiting Chesebro to Trump’s legal team and engaging in discussions about false-elector documents after the 2020 election.
A spokesman for Trump’s campaign did not immediately comment on the charges. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers commended the charges, while Senator Ron Johnson criticized them as “outrageous.”
Wisconsin is set to host the Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to accept the party’s nomination following his sentencing in a New York case.
Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting.
