LANSING (WWJ) -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office has requested that a special prosecutor take the reigns on an investigation into group of people accused of conspiring to tamper with voting machines used in the 2020 election.
A letter sent on Friday by chief deputy attorney general Christina Grossi to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson noted that nine individuals were allegedly involved in efforts to "gain unauthorized access" and "[compromise] tabulators" in the months following the election from Roscommon County, Barry County and Missaukee County.
The petition suggests that individuals Ben Cotton, Jeff Lenberg, Douglas Logan and James Penrose convinced clerks from across those northern and western Michigan counties to give them the tabulators, then took the machines to hotels and Airbnb rental properties in Oakland County, broke into them and "performed 'tests'."
Those also mentioned in the investigation include state Rep. Daire Rendon (R-Lake City), Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf, and Republican attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, who is said to have been "present at a hotel room during such 'testing.'"
The request to appoint a special prosecutor to the investigation was made due to a potential conflict of interest stemming from the accusations against DePerno — a Kalamazoo attorney endorsed by former President Donald Trump who is expected to face off against Nessel in the Nov. 8 general election.
Speaking with WWJ's Jon Hewett, DePerno denied any involvement in the situation, and says he believes he is being targeted in the investigation for political reasons.
“The allegations in this petition talk about Lake Township and Richfield Township in Roscommon County, and then Barry County and Missaukee County. So I can tell you I never had contact with any of those clerks, never had a discussion with them. But I think they’re trying to link me in some way to people who may have had those discussions," DePerno said.
“She’s once again weaponized her office to attack a political opponent in order to gain an advantage in the upcoming election,” DePerno added of Nessel. “This is an attempt by her to try to smear me, cast doubt on my candidacy, in order to gain favorability.”
As part of the conclusion of its involvement in the investigation, the Attorney General's office has provided Secretary Benson with an overview of its findings regarding unauthorized access of the tabulators, which can be found here.
Obtaining undue possession of a voting machine used in an election is a felony and can be punishable by up to five years in prison.
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