April O'Neil / news@whmi.com

An arraignment date has been set for 16 Republican lawmakers, including two local women, charged with conducting an alleged fake elector scheme following the U.S. presidential election in 2020.

The two local women facing charges include 65-year-old Mary Ann Henry of Brighton and 55-year-old Meshawn Maddock of Milford, who is the former co-chair of the Michigan Republican party.

All 16 individuals are scheduled to appear in 54-A District Court in Ingham County on August 10.

Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced felony charges Tuesday, July 18, against the 16 defendants who she says acted as fake electors for then-President Donald Trump in 2020. They’re accused of submitting false certificates confirming they were legitimate electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.

Charges include forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, uttering and publishing, conspiracy to commit uttering and publishing, election law forgery, and conspiracy to commit election law forgery.

Nessel alleges the defendants met covertly in the basement of the Michigan Republican Party headquarters on December 14th, and signed their names to multiple certificates stating they were the “duly elected and qualified electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America for the State of Michigan.” Nessel says the false documents were then transmitted to the United States Senate and National Archives in a coordinated effort to award the state’s electoral votes to the candidate of their choosing, in place of the candidates actually elected by the people of Michigan.

Nessel said the investigation remains ongoing and the Department has not ruled out potential charges against additional defendants.