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LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Two Tory hoaxes face a record fine of $ 5.1 million for allegedly making illegal robocalls on wireless phones without owners’ consent in the 2020 election.
The Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday that the proposed fine for Jacob Wohl, the lobbying firm of Jack Burkman and Burkman would be the largest on record for breaking consumer protection law by telephone.
Men already face criminal charges in several states for allegedly staging 85,000 robocalls that falsely warned residents of predominantly black areas of New York City, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan that information gleaned from ballots by mail could lead to their arrest, debt collection and forced vaccination.
The FCC said federal law prohibits making pre-recorded calls to cell phones without the permission of those receiving the calls. The agency, which determined that 1,141 calls were directed to cell phones on August 26 and September 14, proposed a fine of $ 4,500 for each.
Regulators launched their investigation following complaints and consumer concerns raised by a national civil rights group, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
The FCC said it worked with the Ohio Attorney General’s office to obtain subpoenas from two numbering service providers showing emails from Burkman and Wohl, including zip codes to target and “the band that we want to get out “. They will have an opportunity to respond before the commission takes action.
In emails to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Wohl and Burkman said the Biden administration was seeking to distract from the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. and other misfortunes.
“We will not be discouraged or discouraged,” Wohl said. Burkman called the proposed fine “sad.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, whose office is prosecuting the men, said “this massive fine reflects the seriousness of the allegations these two political operatives are facing.”
The FCC said it was the first time it had issued a fine notice without first issuing a citation, citing a change in the law in 2019.
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Follow David Eggert on https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
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