NY Attorney General subpoenas pro-Trump troll Jacob Wohl for voter suppression scheme

Wohl and Jack Burkman have been criminally indicted in Ohio and Michigan in connection with the robocall scheme

By ROGER SOLLENBERGER
DECEMBER 23, 2020 9:37PM (UTC)

The New York Attorney General's office has issued subpoenas to right-wing trolls Jacob Wohl, 22, and Jack Burkman, 58, in connection to an alleged voter-intimidation robocall scheme that has already led to felony indictments in Ohio and Michigan, as well as a federal civil suit filed in the Southern District of New York.

The three subpoenas, each signed Dec. 22 and obtained by Salon, target Wohl, Burkman and Burkman's consulting firm, Burkman & Associates. Prosecutors are seeking information about who funded the robocalls, including about the source of funds in the firm's Bank of America account, as well as any relevant communications. More broadly, investigators also want to see all documents concerning Project 1599, Burkman's organization, which not only claims credit for the calls in the recordings but has also been linked to a number of other political stunts the duo has carried out over the years.

The New York Attorney General specifically asks about payments to a voice broadcasting company called Message Communications, which Wohl and Burkman paid for the service. Robert Mahanian, who runs the L.A.-based company, confirmed to Salon that he has complied with requests from a number of attorneys general regarding Wohl and Burkman.

"This really was disgusting, what they did," Mahanian said. He told Salon that Burkman and Wohl paid his company only $2,000 to place the calls, which went out to hundreds of thousands of people in communities of color across at least five states. ... "They spent $2,000 with me, and I got complaints immediately. Literally the next day I terminated their account," said Mahanian, whose service he says can reach 100,000 recipients for less than $1,000.

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