Overview
- Dane County Judge John Hyland found probable cause to proceed on 11 felony forgery counts against Jim Troupis and Mike Roman after a lengthy preliminary hearing.
- Co-defendant Ken Chesebro was separated from the proceeding and will have a later probable-cause hearing pending rulings on what statements of his are admissible.
- Prosecutors allege the trio prepared false documents and misled 10 Republican electors into signing a certificate falsely asserting Trump won Wisconsin in 2020.
- Hyland cited defendants’ emails and texts as evidence of intent to present the certificate as legitimate rather than as a contingency.
- The state case advances as similar prosecutions in Michigan and Georgia have faltered, and the defendants’ inclusion on a presidential pardon list does not affect Wisconsin’s charges.