1 of 2 | Matthew DePerno, who lost to Michigan's incumbent Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel, and former Republican state Rep. Daire Rendon have been charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy, according to court records. Both have pleaded not guilty. Photo courtesy of DePerno for attorney general
Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Last year's Republican nominee for Michigan attorney general and a former state lawmaker are facing criminal charges in an alleged plot to access voting machines after the 2020 presidential election.
Matthew DePerno, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and lost to incumbent Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel, and former Republican state Rep. Daire Rendon have been charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy, according to special prosecutor D.J. Hilson who confirmed the charges Tuesday.
"The charging decision was the result of a thorough decision-making process by an independent citizens grand jury," Hilson said. "This citizens 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."
DePerno and Rendon were arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty before posting $5,000 personal bonds.
According to court records, DePerno is facing four criminal charges, including possession of and willfully damaging a voting machine, which are felonies under Michigan law. Rendon was charged with conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine and false pretenses.
Last year, Nessel petitioned Michigan's Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council to investigate the alleged "conspiracy" and to avoid a conflict of interest since DePerno was "the presumptive Republican nominee for Attorney General" at the time.
DePerno's campaign manager Tyson Shepard blasted Nessel's petition last August, saying "Dana Nessel has a history of targeting and persecuting her political enemies."
Nessel's office named nine people who allegedly convinced local clerks in three counties to hand over their tabulators following the 2020 presidential election. Nessel's office alleged the nine people, who included DePerno, broke into the machines and performed tests on them.
While DePerno argued that the clerks allowed them to access the voting machines and that their tests were legal, a judge ruled last month that it is still illegal to take possession of a voting tabulator without authorization from the Secretary of State's office or a court order.
Last month, Nessel announced felony charges against 16 other Republicans who signed and submitted a certificate falsely claiming Trump won Michigan's 16 electoral votes.
Following the announcement of Tuesday's charges, Nessel issued a statement calling the allegations against DePerno "incredibly serious and unprecedented."
"The 2024 presidential election will soon be upon us. The lies espoused by attorneys involved in this matter, and those who worked in concert with them across the nation, wreaked havoc and sowed distrust within our democratic institutions and processes," Nessel said.
Republican Michigan House Minority Leader Matt Hall also called the charges "very serious."
"Many Americans are concerned about the recent flood of politically charged prosecutions in Michigan and around the country, and this prosecutor will need to prove his allegations in court beyond a reasonable doubt."
