Virginia lobbyists accused of misleading Black voters fined $5 million

Two Virginia lobbyists accused of trying to inhibit Black voters during the 2020 presidential election have been fined $5 million by federal regulators for illegally sending robocalls.

An investigation by the Federal Communications Commission found that John Burkman and Jacob Wohl paid a separate company to place more than 1,100 recorded robocalls in August and September of last year. The two admitted to arranging the calls, which the FCC said violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.  Prosecutors in Michigan, New York and Ohio indicted Burkman and Wohl last year for allegedly seeking to intimidate Black voters in Cleveland, Detroit and New York City.