Overview
- The three defendants—Jim Troupis, Mike Roman and Ken Chesebro—entered not guilty pleas in Dane County Circuit Court on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, during a brief arraignment.
- They face 11 state felony forgery counts that prosecutors say are tied to efforts to create and submit a false certificate claiming Trump won Wisconsin; each count carries up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
- Wisconsin prosecutors allege the defendants deceived the state’s 10 Republican electors about how the certificate would be used and that the fake-elector plan originated in Wisconsin.
- The defense says the actions were meant to preserve legal options, has filed motions to change venue and to dismiss at least one count based on presidential pardons, and a judge will set a schedule to resolve those motions.
- The case is notable for moving forward while related efforts in other states have faltered, leaving Wisconsin as a key state test of whether state courts will hold participants in the 2020 fake-elector scheme criminally accountable.