The messages included false warnings that voting by mail would result in their personal information being given to police departments and credit card companies.
“Vote by mail sounds great, but did you know that if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to find old warrants and used by mail companies credit cards to collect unpaid debts? one of those robocall messages said, according to a transcript provided by the attorney general’s office. “The CDC is even pushing to use mail-in voting records to track people for mandatory vaccines.”
The message concluded: “Don’t be forced to give your private information to this man, stay safe and be wary of mail-in voting. »
Under the terms of a settlement agreement, Wohl and Burkman must pay a $1 million judgment to the New York Attorney General’s Office, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and individual plaintiffs who were harmed by their scheme . The three groups together filed a lawsuit against Wohl and Burkman in 2021.
“These men engaged in a conspiracy to suppress the Black vote in the 2020 general election,” Melanie Campbell, president of the NCBCP, said in a statement. “They used intimidation and intimidation tactics, attempting to spread harmful misinformation about voting in an attempt to silence Black voices. Their conduct cannot and will not be tolerated.
The group said it was forced to use “considerable resources” to respond to the false claims in the robocall. According to James’ office, a New York voter who received the threatening robocall suffered “severe anxiety and distress” and ultimately removed his or her voter registration.
If Wohl and Burkman do not pay at least $105,000 by Dec. 31 and cure the default within 30 days, the amount will increase to $1.25 million, the attorney general’s office said.
“Our clients are pleased that we have reached an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs,” David Schwartz, an attorney for Wohl and Burkman, said in an email. “The settlement is still pending court approval and our clients are happy to put this matter behind them, so they can focus on their families and careers.”
In August 2022, James’ office announced a separate settlement with the robocall platform that sent Wohl and Burkman’s illegal robocall.
“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and it belongs to everyone. We will not allow anyone to threaten that right,” James said in a statement Tuesday. “Wohl and Burkman orchestrated a depraved, misinformation-filled campaign to intimidate Black voters in an attempt to influence the election in favor of their preferred candidate. … My office will always defend the right to vote.”
Wohl and Burkman were also indicted in other states for running similar robocall schemes targeting black voters in 2020. In 2022, an Ohio judge ordered the two men each to pay $2 in fines. $500 and work 500 hours to register voters in Washington. Wohl and Burkman were also charged with crimes in Michigan for targeting predominantly black voters in Detroit with the same robocalls.
“This robocall is a blatant example of voter suppression, targeting Black voters with blatant lies intended to intimidate them from going to the polls and expressing their voice in our democracy,” the attorney general said. Michigan, Dana Nessel, in November.
Wohl and Burkman were behind past failed attempts to defame Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with false statements. Wohl also previously spread a false claim that Vice President Harris was ineligible to run for president because of her parents’ immigration status.
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