![New Hampshire resident hopes prosecution of fake Biden robocall sender sends a strong message New Hampshire resident hopes prosecution of fake Biden robocall sender sends a strong message](https://i0.wp.com/bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/RBgBf-f-2fVqgYFHJgMg-zJemWw=/506x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/EPPSHYTMHTMMKELFCDDQMMA67I.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
The first of several initial court hearings is scheduled for this week for political consultant Steven Kramer, who was charged for his role in a robocall that imitated President Biden’s voice and urged New Hampshire voters to skip the presidential primary. been in January.
In this image taken from video, Steve Kramer speaks during an interview on February 26, 2024, in Miami. The Federal Communications Commission has issued a $6 million fine against the political consultant who sent AI-generated robocalls imitating President Joe Biden’s voice to voters ahead of the New Hampshire presidential primary. Kramer admitted to orchestrating the message sent to thousands of voters. Uncredited/KeynoteUSA
Kramer, 54, is scheduled for an arraignment Wednesday, June 5, in Belknap Superior Court in Laconia, on felony counts of voter suppression and misdemeanor counts of impersonating a candidate. He also faces similar charges in Merrimack, Grafton and Rockingham counties, where his arraignment is scheduled for June 14, 17 and 26.
Each of the 13 felony charges he faces is based on a different robocall recipient. One of them, Krista M. Zurek of Newmarket, recalled hearing a familiar voice in the message left on her landline.
“I thought it sounded a little strange,” Zurek told the Boston Globe. “I’m a Joe Biden supporter, so I know how he talks.”
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Zurek, a registered Democrat, said she wouldn’t expect Biden to use the word “malarkey” in the context of this particular message. She and her husband listened to the message again and concluded that the call was apparently the work of a scammer. So when news broke about the incident, she contacted the attorney general’s office to share her story.
“I thought it was horrible that a person was trying to take away our vote… I was pretty upset about what had happened and I wanted to do everything I could to stop it,” she said.
Zurek voted in the Democratic primary, casting one of 77,000 write-in votes that carried the incumbent to victory despite his decision to skip the state’s traditional early contest. But he is bothered by the idea that others might not have ignored Biden’s fake phone call.
“There were probably people who heard that call and thought it was legitimate,” he said, “and if they weren’t going to vote for it, it would give power to someone else who is trying to influence the election.”
Zurek said he’s worried others might try a similar stunt before the general election, so he hopes Kramer’s pending prosecution (not to mention the FCC’s proposed $6 million fine) will serve as a deterrent.
“A strong message to this person can also send a strong message to other people,” he said.
Efforts to reach Kramer for comment were unsuccessful. He still did not have an attorney listed in New Hampshire court records as representing him.
This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter, focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from elsewhere. If you would like to receive it by email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
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