Keneth Chesebro was among three Donald Trump associates to be dealt yet another legal blow on Tuesday, with each of them charged in Wisconsin with forgery stemming from the 2020 election.
The charges relate to Chesebro’s alleged fake electors plot that sought to have Wisconsin and its 10 electoral votes flipped from a Joe Biden victory to a Trump win—a longshot scheme that never gained any real traction.
That foiled plan involved fake elector paperwork being signed by 10 Wisconsin electors and passed by to then-Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6, 2021—a plot that Chesebro is said to have helped draw up.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite the plot’s predictable failure in Wisconsin and elsewhere, those in Trump’s orbit, like Chesebro, have found themselves staring down potential prison time in swing states across the country.
Chesebro, 62, was among 18 co-defendants named alongside Trump in his criminal racketeering case in Georgia, but he reached a plea deal in October. He was also named a co-conspirator for a similar plot in Arizona.
The others charged Tuesday included Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign aide, and James Troupis, a former attorney for Trump who represented the then-president in Wisconsin during the 2020 election. It’s the first time Troupis, 70, has faced charges, but Roman, 51, was among Trump’s co-defendants in his Georgia case and is listed as a co-conspirator in Arizona.
Prosecutors have also separately charged other Republicans involved in alleged fake elector schemes in Michigan and Nevada. Fake elector plots also allegedly took place in Pennsylvania and New Mexico, but no charges have stemmed from them.
The three defendants in the Wisconsin case are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 19. They could be sentenced up to six years in prison and fine up to $10,000 if convicted.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, issued a one word response to the charges being filed Tuesday: “Good.”
Trump lost Wisconsin by less than 21,000 votes in 2020—approximately the same margin Trump carried the state with in 2016.
Like other times his pals have been slapped with charges but not him, Trump did not immediately comment on Tuesday despite firing off 15 posts to Truth Social before noon.
