Arizona 2020 Trump Fake Electors Indictment
Arizona v. Ward
Indictment by the state of Arizona charging 18 individuals — seven of whom whose names are redacted — with felonies for their involvement with Arizona’s 2020 fake electors scheme. The indictment alleges that a slate of Republicans engaged in a conspiracy with the goal of preventing the transfer of power and keeping former President Donald Trump (R) in office “against the will of Arizona voters.”
The named defendants include 11 Republicans who falsely claimed to be electors for the 2020 Presidential and Vice Presidential contest: Former Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward, State Sen. Jake Hoffman, State Sen. Anthony Kern, RNC Committeeman Tyler Bower, Nancy Cottle, James Lamon, Robert Montogmery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pelligrino, Gregory Safsten and Michael Ward.
Though their names are redacted, reporting confirms that Trump allies John Eastman, Rudy Guilliani, Mark Meadows, Boris Epshteyn, Mike Roman, Jenna Ellis and Christina Bobb were also indicted. Trump himself is not charged, but he is described as “unindicted coconspirator 1.”
The indictment includes nine felony counts for:
- Conspiracy (Count 1);
- Fraudulent schemes and artifices (Count 2);
- Fraudulent schemes and practices (Count 3) and
- Forgery (Counts 4-9).
The document outlines a timeline of events in the aftermath of the 2020 general election wherein the defendants raised false claims of fraud, filed numerous lawsuits and pressured election officials. The document alleges that the defendants and unindicted co-conspirators and others pressured three groups of election officials (Maricopa Board of Supervisors, Arizona Legislature and former Gov.Doug Ducey (R) to encourage them to change the election results. Upon these efforts failing, they “falsely claim[ed] to be the ‘duly elected and qualified Electors for President and Vice President of the United States from the State of Arizona.””
The filing describes the “Fake Electors Scheme” beginning as early as Nov. 4, 2022 with a series of texts and memos that suggested Republicans could send their own slate of electors for certification on Jan. 6, 2021.
On Dec. 23, 2020, a redacted defendant wrote a memo detailing a scenario for Jan. 6, 2021 where he recommended that Pence not certify the state’s Democratic electors. From there, the scheme developed: “The Arizona Republican electors met on December 14, 2020, at the Arizona Republican Party Headquarters, posting a picture to twitter.com,” the indictment reads. The group of fake electors “voted” for Trump and Pence on Dec. 14, 2022. The electors did not withdraw their votes even after legal challenges failed to change the outcome of Arizona’s 2020 Presidential Election.
According to the document, the defendants and unindicted coconspirators “deceived the public with false claims of election fraud in order to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency, to keep Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona’s voters, and deprive Arizona voters of their right to vote and have their votes counted. By sending in false electoral votes, they obtained a benefit under Arizona law by creating the opportunity for Pence to reject the legitimate certified Democratic elector votes for Biden-Harris and declare Unindicted Coconspirator 1 the winner of the 2020 Presidential election.”
STATUS: The defendants have not yet been arraigned or entered pleas.
Case Documents
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