Current:Home > NewsTrump adviser Boris Epshteyn pleads not guilty in Arizona’s fake elector case -WealthTrail Solutions
Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn pleads not guilty in Arizona’s fake elector case
View
Date:2025-04-18 07:53:49
PHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers Boris Epshteyn and Jenna Ellis and former U.S. Senate candidate James Lamon have pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges for their roles in trying to overturn former President Donald Trump’s Arizona election loss to Joe Biden.
The hearing Tuesday in a Phoenix courtroom marked the last of 18 arraignments in the fake elector case. Fifteen other people, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Epshteyn, a Trump adviser, is accused of assisting Giuliani in carrying out the scheme to submit fake electors for Trump in Arizona and obstruct the certification of election results by Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
Prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme.
Arizona authorities unveiled the felony charges in late April against 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump had won Arizona. The defendants include five lawyers connected to the former president and two former Trump aides. Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes.
Trump himself was not charged in the Arizona case but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment.
Arizona authorities say Ellis made false claims of widespread election fraud in the state and six others, encouraged the Arizona Legislature to change the outcome of the election and encouraged then-Vice President Mike Pence to accept Arizona’s fake elector votes.
Lamon, a businessman who lost a 2022 Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, is accused of falsely stating he was a duly elected and qualified elector. Prosecutors have pointed out that Lamon didn’t withdraw his vote even though no legal challenge had successfully changed the outcome in Arizona. Last year, Ellis was charged in Georgia after she appeared with Giuliani at a December 2020 hearing hosted by state Republican lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol during which false allegations of election fraud were made. She pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings after reaching a deal with prosecutors.
The 11 people who claimed to be Arizona’s Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were “duly elected and qualified” electors and asserting that Trump carried the state. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.
veryGood! (3373)
Related
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Military hearing officer deciding whether to recommend court-martial for Pentagon leaker
- At least 8 people killed in Florida bus crash; dozens injured
- TikTok content creators sue the U.S. government over law that could ban the popular platform
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Drowning deaths surged during the pandemic — and it was worse among Black people, CDC reports
- Shoppers Can't Get Enough of These Sweat-Wicking Workout Tanks and You Can Score 3 for $24.99
- Judge tosses Republican lawsuit that sought to declare Arizona’s elections manual invalid
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Pomegranate juice is the nutrient-dense drink you probably need more of
Ranking
- Illinois governor calls for resignation of sheriff whose deputy fatally shot Black woman in her home
- Utah judge to decide if author of children’s book on grief will face trial in her husband’s death
- There’s bird flu in US dairy cows. Raw milk drinkers aren’t deterred
- Christina Hall Reunites With Ex Tarek El Moussa—and Twins With His Wife Heather in New Video
- $1 Frostys: Wendy's celebrates end of summer with sweet deal
- Man accused of killing his family in Mississippi shot dead in 'gunfight' with Arizona troopers
- Christina Hall Reunites With Ex Tarek El Moussa—and Twins With His Wife Heather in New Video
- Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's Archewell Foundation declared delinquent
Recommendation
Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
Naval Academy plebes end their first year with daunting traditional climb of Herndon Monument
In Michael Cohen's testimony against Donald Trump, a possible defense witness emerges
2024 WNBA season rookies to watch: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
Zayn Malik Shares Rare Insight Into Relationship With Ex-Fiancée Perrie Edwards
Alaska budget negotiators announce tentative deal as legislative session nears deadline
The WNBA’s challenge: How to translate the Caitlin Clark hype into sustained growth for the league