A former township clerk and her attorney will face charges in Michigan over allegations of a voter data breach related to the 2020 election, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Wednesday.
Former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott and her private attorney Stefanie Lambert allegedly allowed “an unauthorized computer examiner access to voter data, including non-public voter information, concerning the 2020 General Election,” Nessel’s office said in a press release.
Scott faces six charges — five felonies and one misdemeanor — including concealing or withholding a voting machine and using a computer to commit a crime. Lambert faces three felonies, including using a computer to commit a crime. It is unclear how they pleaded to the charges.
Scott, 52, and Lambert, 42, have previously touted conspiracy theories about the results of the 2020 presidential election in Michigan.
“Ensuring election security and integrity stands as the cornerstone of our democracy,” Nessel said in a statement.
“When elected officials and their proxies use their positions to promote baseless conspiracies, show blatant disregard for voter privacy, and break the law in the process, it undermines the very essence of the democratic process,” she continued. “Those who engage in such reckless conduct must be held accountable for their actions.”
Lambert’s attorney, Daniel Hartman, said in a statement to the Associated Press that she didn’t violate the law and that she “remains steadfast in her efforts to bring transparency to the people’s election data, processes and procedures.” Lambert did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Lambert is accused of illegally transmitting data from the township’s “Electronic Poll Book concerning the 2020 General Election under the direction of Scott.”
Scott allegedly “intentionally disregarded numerous instructions” to hand over a voting tabulator to an “authorized vendor for maintenance and testing,” the press release said. The Michigan State Police ended up seizing the tabulator as part of a search warrant.
Both Lambert and Scott have a history of election denialism. Lambert previously attempted to sue to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 Michigan electoral win. Scott, too, has touted election-related conspiracy theories, and in 2021, Scott was barred from running the township’s local election after the Michigan Bureau of Elections said she failed to take precautions to ensure voting security. She was eventually voted out of office in a 2023 recall election.
Lambert was arrested in March after a sanctions hearing regarding her allegedly spreading confidential emails from Dominion Voting Systems.
Associated Press contributed.
