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A former candidate for Michigan attorney general endorsed by Donald Trump and a former state lawmaker have been indicted on charges related to tampering with voting machines following Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.
Matthew DePerno, who lost his bid for attorney general in 2022, has been charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy. In August of last year, Reuters reported that DePerno had orchestrated an alleged security breach of a vote tabulator in Richfield Township, Michigan, in early 2021.
Trump endorsed DePerno in his run against current Attorney General Dana Nessel, and in his bid for Michigan GOP Chair earlier this year. In January, Trump called DePerno “the only candidate who has a proven background on election integrity, fundraising, party unity, and has my complete trust.”
Shortly before the 2022 election, Trump heaped more praise on DePerno during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas. “He’s going to make sure that you are going to have law and order and fair elections,” Trump told attendees.
Indicted alongside DePerno is fellow Republican Daire Rendon, a former Michigan state representative. Rendon has been charged on conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine and false pretenses.
Following the 2020 election, Rendon participated in a lawsuit seeking to overturn Michigan’s presidential election results. The lawsuit alleged that Dominion Voting System had rigged voting machines and alleged mismanagement by Michigan election officials.
Earlier this month, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed felony criminal charges against 16 individuals allegedly involved in a scheme to overturn the 2020 election on behalf of Trump. Those indicted were accused of trying to subvert the state’s Electoral College vote for Joe Biden by submitting a fake, alternate docket of pro-Trump electors. The charges against each defendant include forgery, election law forgery, and conspiracy to commit forgery, among others.
