Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has announced felony charges against six so-called “fake electors” for their alleged role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, his office announced Wednesday.
Among those charged are some of the top officials from the Nevada Republican Party, including Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald, Nevada Republican Party National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, Clark County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Law and Storey County Clerk Jim Hindle, as well as Republican operatives Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice.
The six defendants were indicted by a grand jury in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Nevada for falsely portraying themselves as Nevada’s presidential electors after the last presidential election, the attorney general’s office said.
Each of the defendants have been charged with felonies including offering a false instrument for filing, offering a forged instrument, and offering a false instrument titled “Certificate of the Votes of the 2020 Electors from Nevada” to the President of the Senate; the Archivist of the United States; the Nevada Secretary of State; and the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.
Several of them met with the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and McDonald and DeGraffenreid reportedly testified before a federal grand jury that was empaneled in Washington, D.C., to investigate Jan. 6 earlier this year.
“When the efforts to undermine faith in our democracy began after the 2020 election, I made it clear that I would do everything in my power to defend the institutions of our nation and our state,” Ford, a Democrat, said in a statement. “We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged. Today’s indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation, and as we enter into litigation, I am confident that our judicial system will see justice done.”
McDonald, DeGraffenreid and Law declined to comment to ABC News. Hindle, Meehan and Rice could not be reached for comment.
A “Vote Here Today” sign is seen outside a polling station, Nov. 3, 2020, in Fallon, Nev.
Ty O’Neil/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
This is the third criminal indictment state attorney generals have filed against so-called “fake electors,” who allegedly pledged false electoral votes to Donald Trump in their respective states during the 2020 election, despite Joe Biden winning those states.
Three such “fake electors” were among the 18 co-defendants charged, along with Trump, in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. Defendants Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, Jena Ellis and Scott Hall subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants, while all other defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in July charged 16 “alternate electors” for conspiracy to commit forgery, among other charges. Nine subsequently entered not guilty pleas.