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Right-wing operatives who were found liable for making threatening robocalls to Black voters will now have to pay up. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman will pay up to $1.25 million in damages for their targeted harassment of Black New Yorkers.

In 2020, Wohl and Burkman orchestrated a sweeping robocall campaign that reached an estimated 5,500, according to prosecutors. The campaign spread disinformation about mail-in voting, in an effort to block Black voters from voting by mail during the pandemic.

In one example, a woman introducing herself as “Tamika Taylor from Project 1599, the civil rights organization founded by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl” would warn voters about voting by mail. “Mail-in voting sounds great, but did you know that if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts,” asked the voice?

“Don’t be finessed into giving your private information to the man, stay safe and beware of vote by mail,” the voice added.

In 2021, Attorney General James’ office filed a lawsuit against Wohl and Burkman. And in March of 2023, a federal judge ruled that Wohl and Burkman violated state civil rights law and the federal Ku Klux Klan Act — arguing that their actions were racially motivated.

Wohl and Burkman agreed to pay $1 million in damages. The amount owed could decrease if they pay on time or balloon to $1.25 million if they miss payments.

This isn’t either Wohl or Burkman’s first offense. In 2022, they pleaded guilty to similar robocall-related charges in Ohio. And in 2023, the Federal Communications Commission fined the pair $5.1 million for unlawful robocalls.