Right-wingers behind robocall scheme officially faced with over $5 million fine
Jenny Goldsberry
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The Federal Communications Commission officially enforced its fine of $5,134,500 against controversial conservative activists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman.
Wohl and Burkman engaged in a robocall operation that targeted black voters in several states and falsely claimed that their “personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts” per the FCC filing.
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At the time, the commission proposed to charge the pair, and also the firm Burkman & Associates, a $4,500 penalty per call made without consent. It was the largest fine issued in the name of robocalls.
“This penalty emphasizes the seriousness with which we take our obligations to protect American consumers, and in this instance American voters, from being targeted through the clear and illegal misuse of U.S. communications networks,” FCC Enforcement Chief Loyaan A. Egal said in a statement. “We commend our law enforcement partners for bringing Burkman and Wohl to justice for their actions, and we will continue our efforts to make it clear that there are significant consequences for engaging in this type of conduct.”
Burkman & Associates did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment. Burkman reportedly described the proposal as “tyranny and madness” when it was proposed last year.
The calls were made to voters in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan. Wohl and Burkman pleaded guilty to one count of telecommunications fraud in Ohio and subsequently were sentenced to community service. Another case against them in Michigan is currently pending in the state’s Supreme Court.
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Both Burkman and Wohl are jointly liable to pay the fine, but it remains to be seen if the pair will evenly divide it between them.