Former Michigan township clerk, attorney head to trial for 2020 election voter data breach
A former Michigan township clerk and her personal attorney, who once unsuccessfully sued to overturn President Trump's 2020 loss in Michigan, will stand trial for unauthorized access to 2020 voter data, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
On Monday, former Adams Township clerk Stephanie Scott, 53, and her attorney, Stefanie Lambert, 44, were bound over to stand trial in Hillsdale County for allegedly allowing unauthorized computer examiner access to voter data, including non-public voter information, for the 2020 general election, state prosecutors said.
Nessel initially charged the two in May 2024.
State prosecutors allege Scott intentionally disregarded instructions from the Michigan Secretary of State to turn over the township's voting tabulator to an authorized vendor for maintenance and testing, and also withheld the tabulator until it was seized by Michigan State Police as part of a search warrant.
State officials also allege Scott instructed Lambert to transmit data from the Adams Township Electronic Poll Book related to the 2020 election.
"The deliberate violation of voter privacy to push a false agenda and spew misinformation is reckless and illegal," Nessel said in a statement. "My office takes these allegations very seriously and looks forward to further pursuing this case through the judicial process to defend the rights of Michiganders and protect their personal election data."
Scott will head to trial on charges of using a computer to commit a crime, unauthorized access to computers, conspiracy to commit the offense of unauthorized access to computers and misconduct in office. Scott was recalled from her position as Adams Township clerk in 2023.
Scott's attorney, Lambert, unsuccessfully sued to overturn Mr. Trump's 2020 loss in Michigan and previously represented Patrick Byrne, the founder of Overstock.com, who was sued by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation. A court disqualified Lambert from the case in August 2024.
Lambert is charged with using a computer to commit a crime, unauthorized access to computers and conspiracy to commit the offense of unauthorized access to computers.
In a separate case in Michigan, Lambert faced four felony charges related to accessing voting machines.
The Michigan State Police referred the case to Nessel's office following the department's investigation into possible election law violations by Scott.