MAGA hoaxer Jacob Wohl found to have violated the KKK Act by federal judge
Far-right activist Jacob Wohl and his associate Jack Burkman violated the Voting Rights Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act when they fired off robocalls to Black voters trying to trick them out of voting, ruled a federal judge on Wednesday.
"The Court recognizes that the free exchange of ideas on issues of public concern and the ability to engage in robust political discussion constitute the foundations of a democratic society,” wrote senior District Judge Victor Marrero.
"Wohl and Burkman have been tied to multiple political hoaxes targeting perceived rivals of former President Donald Trump, including then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Anthony Fauci, and ex-Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Prosecutors, regulators and common citizens claimed the duo crossed a line with 85,000 robocalls, sent out nationally to such locations as New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Pennsylvania," reported Adam Klasfeld. "Recorded by a woman identifying herself as 'Tamika Taylor,' the robocalls largely targeted diverse regions with the false message that 'if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants, and [will] be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debt.'"
Wohl, a young right-wing provocateur, once ran a hedge fund as a teenager, but was banned for life from the industry by the National Futures Association for lying to investors about the percent of their money exposed to risk in his firm.
IN OTHER NEWS: 'It’s like a self-own': GOP's Tom Cotton mocked over questions about domestic terrorism
He and Burkman have since run a number of high-profile schemes, including soliciting payoffs for women to bring sexual misconduct charges against former Russia investigation special counsel Robert Mueller.
The two fraudsters were already indicted by a grand jury in Ohio, and pleaded guilty to several felony charges. As part of their punishment, they are required to spend 500 hours registering voters.