Three former advisers to President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony forgery charges in Wisconsin, as the state’s Democratic attorney general pressed forward with a prosecution that has survived two years, a change in presidential administration, and federal pardons issued by Trump himself.
Jim Troupis, a former judge who served as Trump’s Wisconsin campaign attorney, Mike Roman, Trump’s national director of Election Day operations in 2020, and Ken Chesebro, a former Trump legal adviser, each entered not guilty pleas in Dane County Circuit Court. Troupis appeared in person. Roman and Chesebro attended via Zoom.
The three face 11 felony forgery counts each, charges that carry a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine per count.
Wisconsin Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul first brought charges against the three in June 2024. Prosecutors allege Troupis, Chesebro, and Roman defrauded the 10 Wisconsin Republican electors who cast ballots for Trump by lying to them about how the certificate they signed would be used. The complaint states a majority of those electors told investigators they did not consent to having their signatures submitted to Congress without a court ruling affirming Trump had won the state.
Troupis, Chesebro, and Roman have argued they committed no crime. They contend they were working to preserve legal options in the event a court ruled Trump had won Wisconsin. Trump lost the state to Joe Biden.
Trump pardoned all three for any federal crimes tied to the fake elector scheme. Their defense teams now argue the presidential pardon should extend to the Wisconsin state charges, on the grounds that casting electoral votes is a federal process the state cannot separately prosecute.
“This case is headed to trial,” Troupis attorney Joe Bugni wrote in a court motion. “No question. Neither side is going to blink. And when we get to trial, Troupis has the right to a fair and impartial jury.”
Troupis and Roman filed separate motions asking to relocate the trial out of Dane County, which includes Madison. Trump lost Dane County by nearly 53 percentage points in 2020. The defense teams argue pretrial publicity has tainted the potential jury pool. They are seeking a move to neighboring Jefferson County, which Trump carried by 15 points that same year.
The presiding judge said Tuesday he would set a schedule to hear arguments on those motions.
The Wisconsin case has outlasted similar prosecutions. A special prosecutor dropped the federal case against Trump last year. Fake elector cases in Michigan and Georgia have also faltered. A Nevada case remains active. No charges have been filed against any of the 10 Wisconsin Republican electors who actually signed the certificate.
Chesebro, Troupis, and the 10 Wisconsin electors previously settled a civil lawsuit related to the case, according to court records.
