Political consultant behind fake Biden robocalls posts bail on first 6 of 26 criminal charges

LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — A political consultant who sent artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden’s voice made his first court appearance Wednesday in New Hampshire, where he is charged with voter suppression and impersonating a candidate ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

Steven Kramer, who also faces a proposed $6 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission, has admitted orchestrating a message that was sent to thousands of voters two days before the Jan. 23 primary. The message played an AI-generated voice similar to the Democratic president’s that used his phrase “What a bunch of malarkey” and falsely suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting ballots in November.

Kramer was charged last month with 13 felonies alleging he violated a New Hampshire law against attempting to deter someone from voting using misleading information. He also faces 13 misdemeanor charges accusing him of falsely representing himself as a candidate by his own conduct or that of another person.

The charges were filed in four counties and are being prosecuted by the state attorney general’s office.

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