2 men plead guilty to sending Ohio residents illegal robocalls ahead of 2020 election

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - As election day approaches next month, Cuyahoga County is still cleaning up one mess from the last election.

Two men pleaded guilty Monday to sending out illegal robocalls to Ohioans ahead of the 2020 election.

Jack Burkman is from Virginia, and Jacob Wohl is from California.

The duo was well known for antagonizing protesters ahead of the 2020 election.

19 Investigates showed you clips from their social media last year.

Now, the two are making headlines for pleading guilty to telecommunications fraud.

Prosecutors considered their 2020 robocalls voter intimidation.

They went out to thousands of Clevelanders and that’s how the two suspects ended up in Cuyahoga County court.

Prosecutors said Wohl and Burkman the calls targeted Black voters in Cleveland and East Cleveland.

They sent out tens of thousands of calls to people in the Midwest, according to prosecutors.

The calls delivered prerecorded messages that falsely warned people that if they voted by mail their information could be used by law enforcement, collection agencies, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to pursue old warrants, collect outstanding debts, and track people for mandatory vaccines.

Prosecutors said 8,100 of the calls went to three zip codes with large Black communities located in Cleveland and East Cleveland.

Nearly half of those were answered by a live person or a voicemail.

The charge the men plead guilty to could hold jail time.

However, the judge scheduled their sentencing to take place over zoom next month.