adminNew Hampshire prosecutors filed criminal charges against the political consultant behind a robocall that used artificial intelligence to impersonate President Joe Biden and urged voters not to participate in the state’s primary this year.
Steve Kramer was named in several indictments in different counties, according to court documents obtained by CNN. He faces multiple charges of felony voter intimidation or suppression. He also faces at least one count of impersonating a candidate, according to the court documents.
The indictments alleged that Kramer “sent or caused to be sent a pre-recorded phone message that disguised the source of the call, or was deceptive in using an artificially created voice of a candidate, or provided misleading information, in attempting to prevent or deter” voters from participating in the New Hampshire primary.
A spokesperson for Kramer declined to comment on the charges. CNN affiliate WMUR was first to report on the indictments.
The criminal charges have been filed in Merrimack, Rockingham and Belknap counties, where some of the voters who received the robocalls reside. CNN has reached out to the New Hampshire attorney general’s office for comment.
Kramer, who worked for Rep. Dean Phillips’ longshot Democratic primary campaign against Biden, previously admitted that he was behind the robocall, which was sent to more than 20,000 voters and urged them to “save” their vote for the November election instead of casting ballots in the January primary. Phillips’ campaign denied having any role in the robocalls.
The robocall is believed to be the first major effort to use AI to imitate a president’s voice in an attempt to suppress votes and it has spurred law enforcement investigations and worries about the future of AI’s impact on American politics.
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