9 Trump supporters arraigned, accused of being fake electors in Michigan

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Allegedly fraudulent electors in Michigan who attempted to cast electoral college votes for former President Donald Trump in 2020 were arraigned Thursday for their roles in efforts to overturn the presidential election.

Nine of the 16 alleged fake electors were arraigned Thursday in Michigan's District 54-A court before Magistrate Judge Laura Millmore, according to the court docket reviewed by UPI. With Thursday's arraignments, all 16 so-called fake electors have now pleaded not guilty to felony charges.

Those arraigned Thursday are: John Haggard, 82; Kathy Berden, 70; Michele Lundgren, 73; Mayra Rodriguez, 64; Amy Facchinello, 55; Clifford Frost, 76; James Renner, 76; Kenneth Thompson, 68; and Timothy King, 56.

Each of the defendants has received the same $1,000 bond, court records reviewed by UPI show. A probable cause conference in their cases is scheduled for Aug. 18, followed by preliminary examination hearings on Aug. 24.

They each have been given eight felony charges including conspiracy to commit a legal act in an illegal manner, forgery and election forgery.

The arraignments were live-streamed from the court on YouTube.

"While the offenses charged here are serious, the probability of conviction is low, given the dubiousness of the factual basis asserted by the government," Haggard's attorney Kurt Krause told the court.

Krause noted that Haggard has "absolutely no criminal history" and complied with processing and fingerprints requirements. Lawyers for the other defendants made little remarks during the proceedings.

"He is eager and looks forward to fighting these charges," Krause said of Haggard.

He and seven electors were arraigned in recent days, including former Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock and Kent Vanderwood -- the mayor of the Michigan city of Wyoming.

Another defendant, William "Hank" Choate, did not appear for a probable cause conference before state District Judge Kristen Simmons on Thursday, the Detroit Free Press reported. Choate's attorney, David Kallman, told the court there was a miscommunication and he believed his client did not need to appear.

Each of the 16 defendants are accused of attempting to gain access to the Michigan Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, to cast votes for Trump before they were denied entry by Michigan State Police.

The case, making its way through the Michigan state court system, relates to the same allegations made in the third criminal indictment against former President Donald Trump after the investigation by special counsel Jack Smith.

A grand jury found that Smith's probe had sufficient evidence to show Trump and at least six unindicted co-conspirators methodically used false claims of voter fraud to attempt to get state and local officials to subvert legitimate election results and dismiss electors and swap them with fraudulent electors.

A co-conspirator in the Trump indictment sent a text message to a Michigan lawmaker seeking to reverse the ascertainment of the legitimate Biden electors by saying that Georgia was considering changing the certification of votes.

"Help me get this done in Michigan," the co-conspirator said in the text, according to the indictment.

Days later, he directed Michigan lawmakers to claim that the state's electors are not the official electors for the state. The lawmakers did not follow through with his request.

Another co-conspirator explained that "it could appear treasonous" if Trump's fraudulent electors voted without a pending court proceeding. The scheme was carried out on Dec. 14, the day when electors from across the nation gathered to formally cast their votes for president.

"In many cases, however, as ... predicted in the fraudulent elector instructions, the fraudulent electors were unable to satisfy the legal requirements," the indictment reads.