Two men accused of using robocalls aimed at intimidating Detroit voters ahead of the 2020 general election have pleaded no contest to state charges in the case, the Michigan Attorney General's office reports. 

This is the latest step in a case that already has gone up to the Michigan Supreme Court. Investigators also said that similar phone calls had been reported in New York state, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. 

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret VanHouten will sentence the two on Dec. 1. 

"After five years, I'm glad this case has finally reached a resolution," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. "Deceptive and racially targeted suppression schemes will not be tolerated in Michigan. My office will continue to pursue and prosecute voter intimidation, no matter how long it takes, to ensure that Michiganders can exercise their right to vote free from fear and deception."   

John Burkman, 59, of Arlington, Virginia, and Jacob Wohl, 27, of Fairfax, Virginia, each pleaded no contest Friday to the following charges: 

• One count of election law – bribing/intimidating voters, a five-year felony.
• One count of conspiracy to commit an election law violation, a 5-year felony.
• One count of using a computer to commit the crime of election law – intimidating voters, a 7-year felony.
• Using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy, a 7-year felony.   

The phone calls in the Detroit area were made in late August 2020, aimed at nearly 12,000 residents whose phone numbers were registered to an address with a Detroit ZIP code.  

The Michigan Attorney General's office said that targeting resulted in predominantly Black recipients of the calls in Michigan. 

Nessel's office said the two attempted to discourage voter participation in the November election by promoting falsehoods over the implications of voting by mail.  

The 2020 election was the first presidential election during which Michigan voters could vote absentee for any reason. The changes in state law happened to coincide with, but were unrelated to, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased public interest in alternatives to same-day, polling site voting. 

After the State of Michigan filed charges in 2020, Burkman and Wohl attempted to quash the case. The case wound through the circuit court, Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court on various issues before landing back in Wayne County Circuit Court.