Former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott and her private attorney Stefanie Lambert face charges of allegedly permitting an unauthorized computer examiner access to voter data after the 2020 general election, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday. Some of the data was not public information.
Adams Township is in Hillsdale County near the southern border of the state in mid-Michigan.
Nessel alleges that Scott intentionally disregarded numerous instructions from the Director of Elections, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, to present the Adams Township voting tabulator to an authorized vendor for maintenance and testing. She withheld the tabulator until it was seized by Michigan State Police pursuant to a search warrant, Nessel stated in a press release.
The AG also alleges Lambert, who has espoused election conspiracy theories alleging voter fraud in 2020, illicitly transmitted data from the Adams Township Electronic poll book concerning the 2020 General Election under the direction of Scott.
“Ensuring election security and integrity stands as the cornerstone of our democracy,” Nessel said in a statement. “When elected officials and their proxies use their positions to promote baseless conspiracies, show blatant disregard for voter privacy, and break the law in the process, it undermines the very essence of the democratic process. Those who engage in such reckless conduct must be held accountable for their actions.”
Scott is charged with:
- One count of Using a Computer to Commit a Crime, a seven-year felony;
- One count of Computers - Unauthorized Access, a five-year felony;
- One count of Conspiracy to Commit the Offense of Computers -Unauthorized Access, a five-year felony;
- One count of Misconduct in Office, a five-year felony;
- One count of Concealing or Withholding a Voting Machine, a five-year felony; and
- One count of Disobeying a Lawful Instruction or Order of the Secretary of State as Chief Election Officer, a 90-day misdemeanor.
Lambert is charged with:
- One count of Using a Computer to Commit a Crime, a seven-year felony;
- One count of Computers - Unauthorized Access, a five-year felony; and
- One count of Conspiracy to Commit the Offense of Computers -Unauthorized Access, a five-year felony.