Former AG candidate DePerno, state rep Rendon charged with violating Michigan election law

Former Michigan GOP attorney general candidate Matt DePerno and former state Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, were charged with violating Michigan election law Tuesday in Oakland County Circuit Court. The charges stem from a special prosecutor's investigation into an alleged conspiracy to breach voting machines orchestrated by allies of former President Donald Trump who fought the results of the 2020 election.

Oakland County Circuit Court's docket did not indicate charges filed against any of the other individuals referred to the special prosecutor — Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson — for investigation although pro-Trump attorney Stefanie Lambert Junttila indicated last week that she was a target in the election probe.

In an initial statement, Hilson said that the process "is still ongoing and not over." The charging decision against DePerno and Rendon "was the result of a thorough decision-making process by an independent citizen's grand jury," Hilson said. "Although our office made no recommendations to the grand jury as to whether an indictment should be issued or not, we support the grand jury's decision and we will prosecute each of the cases as they have directed in the sole interests of justice."

DePerno issued a statement through his lawyer deriding the charges as baseless and politically driven. "He categorically denies any wrongdoing and firmly asserts that these charges are unfounded and lack merit," the statement reads. "He calls on the people of the State of Michigan to stand with him during this time as he remains dedicated to the pursuit of truth and justice."

Rendon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. House Minority Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, who served with Rendon when she was a member of the state Legislature, called the charges "serious" and vowed to monitor the case closely.

"Many Americans are concerned about the recent flood of politically charged prosecutions in Michigan and around the country, and this prosecutor will need to prove his allegations in court beyond a reasonable doubt," Hall said. But as Hilson noted in his statement, it was a grand jury that brought the charges, not him.

The charges mark the second high-profile prosecution stemming from the actions Trump allies took in the wake of the 2020 election. Attorney General Dana Nessel last month charged a group of 16 Republicans accused of trying to overturn the last presidential election with a phony certificate pledging the state's Electoral College votes to Trump.

More: Michigan child care providers brace for Sept. 30 funding cliff that could close centers

Criminal charges: Trump's fake electors charged by Michigan AG in alleged 2020 election scheme

DePerno and Rendon face multiple felony charges including undue possession of a voting machine. They were arraigned in Oakland County Circuit Court and released on a personal bond.

The charges against DePerno and Rendon come after an Oakland County judge ruled that Michigan election law prohibits the undue possession of voting machines not authorized by the Secretary of State — the chief elections officer for the state — or a court order.

The investigation into a voting machine breach began when the Michigan Secretary of State asked Attorney General Dana Nessel's Office and Michigan State Police to investigate third-party access to voting equipment used in the 2020 election. Documents from the attorney general state five voting machines were brought to Oakland County, where they were broken into.

After conducting a preliminary review, Nessel's office sought the appointment of a special prosecutor to consider criminal charges because she was campaigning at the time against DePerno, one of the individuals accused of orchestrating a plot to access voting machines.

Hilson was selected to consider possible charges last fall.

A grand jury was convened in the matter in March, according to a court opinion, and an order from Oakland County Circuit Court denying a request from Junttila to stop the court from weighing in on the key election law on voting machine access at the heart of the criminal probe.

Nessel's office has not been involved in the investigation since Hilson's appointment as special prosecutor in the voting machine probe. But Nessel weighed in on the charges in a statement Tuesday indicating she supports how Hilson has handled the investigation.

"A grand jury indictment requires a prosecutor to meet a much higher threshold than the more routine charging process in Michigan," Nessel said. "In this instance, the special prosecutor took the additional, extraordinary measure of seeking a court ruling on the legality of at least one of the charges prior to closing the presentation of the facts in order to secure the indictments."

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DePerno, Rendon charged with violating Michigan election law