Last week, a special prosecutor appointed for the attorney general by the Michigan Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council announced criminal charges for Michigan attorney Stefanie Lambert Junttila. She’s alleged to be part of a scheme by Trump allies to attempt to gain access to a voting machine after the 2020 election. The charges include undue possession of a voting machine; conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine; conspiracy to commit unauthorized access to a computer system; and willfully damaging a voting machine.
Special prosecutor D.J. Hilson noted, “As special prosecutor for the Attorney General, our review of the police investigation has led to charges related to the unauthorized possession and access to voting tabulators.” “This citizen’s grand jury carefully listened to the sworn testimony and analyzed the evidence as required by law and returned a decision to indict each of the defendants,” he said.
Junttila isn’t the only one facing charges — or even the only attorney. Both Matt DePerno, the Republican nominee for Michigan attorney general, and Daire Rendon, a former state Representative, are also facing charges for allegedly tampering with voting machines.
As reported by Law360, they allegedly used the unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election expounded by Donald Trump as a ruse to tamper with the machines.
According to an investigation report from the attorney general’s office, the group gained unauthorized access to tabulators from those clerk’s offices between March and June 2021.
County clerks told investigators that people were calling their offices on behalf of a “representative” that wanted to do an investigation into election fraud and “needed” their voting machines, according to that August 2022 report. Some clerks gave the caller voting tabulator machines. The machines weren’t returned until a few weeks later, according to the report, which didn’t identify the caller, simply referring to them as “Person 1.”
The tabulators had physical damage from the group’s scheme to perform “tests” on the equipment, according to the Michigan attorney general’s office.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel took a swipe at the lawyers caught up in the scheme.
“Lawyers who utilize their professional licenses to undermine our democracy and violate the law have no business practicing law in Michigan or any other state,” Nessel said. “Furthermore, every officeholder, including local clerks, sheriffs, and legislators, should be expected to uphold and abide by the law. Our democracy simply cannot survive further attacks from within these essential offices of local, county and state government.”
The special prosecutor’s investigation began in February 2022. That’s when Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson sent a letter to the Michigan attorney general’s office and Michigan State Police requesting an investigation due to suspected third-party access to vote tabulators, components, and technology in multiple counties.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
