Conservative Conspiracy Theorists Face Proposed $5M Fine for Robocalls Promoting False Information About the 2020 Election

On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission suggested a $5 million fine against conspiracy theorists and conservative activists John Burkman and Jacob Wohl for making hundreds of robocalls promoting false information about the 2020 election.

The FCC proposed a $5,134,500 fine against Burkman and Wohl for making over 1,100 robocalls in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, or TCPA. According to the violating pre-recorded calls, if people decided to vote by mail in the 2020 election, their personal information would be “part of a public database” that would be used by “police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts.”

According to a news statement issued by the FCC on Tuesday, it is the biggest TCPA fine the agency has ever suggested.

In October, Burkman and Wohl were charged with four felonies by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, accusing them of deterring Detroit citizens from voting in the 2020 election. The complaint accuses them of making roughly 85,000 phone calls to voters in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois last August. According to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, the calls formed by the pair purported to be from “Project 1599, a civil rights organization,” and targeted areas with high Black voter turnout.

Nessel said in a statement earlier this year, “We remain committed to defending democracy against misinformation spread in an attempt to undermine our free and fair elections.”

So far, a trial date has not been set.