NYS AG James: 2 men to pay $1M for making false threats to keep Black voters from 2020 polls

ALBANY – Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday that two men who targeted Black voters in 2020 with threatening and false robocalls to try to prevent them from casting ballots have agreed to pay $1 million.

Jacob Wohl and John M. “Jack” Burkman agreed to pay the settlement following a court judgment in March 2023. A federal judge found Wohl and Burkman liable for false and threatening messages intended to discourage voting by Black New Yorkers.

Wohl and Burkman had posed as a civil rights organization they named Project 1599, James said. James called them conspiracy theorists; multiple media reports identify them as Republican and conservative operators who were accused of similar automated or robotic phone calls during the presidential election in 2020.

James said a sample of the script and its lies read to about 5,500 New Yorkers included: “Did you know 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 be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts? The CDC is even pushing to use records for mail-in voting to track people for mandatory vaccines. Don’t be finessed into giving your private information to the man, stay safe and beware of vote by mail.”

Under the agreement, Wohl and Burkman will pay a $1 million judgment and must pay at least $105,000 by Dec. 31. If they don’t pay, and they don’t adequately create a payment plan, Burkman and Wohl will be held liable to pay $1.25 million.

“Wohl and Burkman orchestrated a depraved and disinformation-ridden campaign to intimidate Black voters in an attempt to sway the election in favor of their preferred candidate,” James said.

The payment will go to the state, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, which had to spend resources to counter the robocalls, and individuals harmed by the robocalls.

The action is the latest by several states against the men. In June 2023 the Federal Communications Commission leveled a $5.1 million fine against Burkman, Wohl, and J.M. Burkman & Associates. The FCC said they made 1,141 unlawful robocalls. The script cited in that case was similar to the one used in New York State in the summer of 2020.

The attorney for Wohl and Burkman, David Schwartz. said, “Our clients are pleased that we have entered into an amicable settlement with the plaintiffs. The settlement is still pending the court’s approval and our clients are pleased to put this case behind them, so they can focus on their families and careers.”

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.