A Texas-based business is charged with participating in a telemarketing campaign powered by artificial intelligence that aimed to fool Democratic voters by posing as President Joe Biden and urging them not to cast their ballots in the New Hampshire presidential primary on January 23.
Republican Attorney General of New Hampshire John Formella announced on Tuesday that the Election Law Unit of his office, working with the Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau and a national task force against robocalls, had determined that Life Corporation and Walter Monk, the company’s principal owner, was the source of the calls.
A criminal investigation was started by Formella, but no charges have been brought.
“It is imperative to maintain public trust in the electoral process,” Formella stated during a press briefing. In the field of law enforcement, it is undeniably one of our top objectives. Our message is crystal clear: law enforcement nationwide is nonpartisan and united, prepared to cooperate in the face of any attempt to taint our elections.”
Formella stated that two of the phrases on the robocalls were, “Your vote matters in November, not this Tuesday,” and “It’s important that you save your vote for the November election.” Two days prior to the primary, on January 21, Formella stated, the calls were placed.
Additionally, the robocalls faked caller ID data to make it seem as though they were from a number associated with a previous chair of the Democratic Party of New Hampshire. To avoid being called again, the message advised recipients to contact that person’s phone.
Because his name was not on the ballot, Biden ran a write-in campaign and won the primary with 63.9% of the vote. In the primaries, a little over 124,000 Democrats cast ballots.
In a press release, Formella’s office stated that while the precise number of calls made is unknown, nationwide call monitoring service Nomorobo estimated that it was between 5,000 and 25,000.
Life Corporation received a cease-and-desist notice from Formella’s office on Tuesday for breaking a state statute that forbids voter suppression. In addition, it served subpoenas for records and notifications of document preservation to Life Corporation and several other organizations, including Lingo Telecom, which is charged with transporting the robocall traffic.
Additionally on Tuesday, the FCC issued two orders: one encouraging other providers to strongly abstain from carrying suspicious traffic from Lingo Telecom, and the other ordering the company to stop facilitating illegal robocall activity on its networks.
According to a press release, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel stated, “Consumers deserve to know that the person on the other end of the line is exactly who they claim to be.”
According to Formella’s office, Lingo Telecom halted services to Life Corporation after learning that the calls were under investigation.
“We are committed to keeping our elections free, fair and secure,” Formella stated. “Any activity that aims to compromise the credibility of our democratic process and elections will not be tolerated. The message is straightforward and obvious to anyone or any organization that could try to partake in these actions. Avoid attempting it.
There wasn’t much information on Life Corporation and Monk online, and it doesn’t seem like the business has a website. According to the Better Business Bureau, the company is an advertising agency located in Arlington, Texas, and when you phone the number provided, it goes directly to voicemail. A message from Newsmax requested comments.