Arizona fake electors case outlines 5 unindicted co-conspirators. Who are they?

Eighteen people were indicted in a criminal case brought by Attorney General Kris Mayes involving the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona.

Five others were named as unindicted co-conspirators.

The designation means these five were believed to be involved in plans to present an alternate slate of presidential electors, but were not charged with a crime for their activities.

Here's what we know about the possible identities of the five co-conspirators, based on information pulled from the public records and other sources.

Unindicted co-conspirator 1: former President Donald Trump

Unindicted co-conspirator 1 is clearly former President Donald Trump. The indictment describes this individual as "a former president of the United States who spread false claims of election fraud following the 2020 election."

Unindicted co-conspirator 2: former state Sen. Kelly Townsend

Unindicted co-conspirator 2 closely resembles former state Sen. Kelly Townsend, a Mesa Republican. This co-conspirator "spread false claims of election fraud following the 2020 election" and "helped organize and distribute a false document on December 14, 2020," titled, "Joint Resolution of the 54th Legislature."

Townsend was a leading skeptic of the 2020 election results. Along with former Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, she urged her fellow lawmakers in early December 2020 to overturn the 2020 results. She then demanded then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich investigate each of the claims of election fraud aired at a late November 2020 "hearing" conducted by Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and later pressured him to release results of a Senate-requested investigation into claims raised by the Senate's ballot review of Maricopa County's 2020 election results.

On Dec. 7, 2020, she sent an email to fellow lawmakers asking them to sign a document stating that "not enough was done to ensure the public of a clean and fair election, and that every vote counted."

It resulted in a joint resolution, signed by 31 Republicans, urging congressional members to accept the "alternate 11 electors" or to have all electoral results voided pending "a full forensic audit."

Townsend on Wednesday said "it's best that I don't make any comments" after The Republic sent her a copy of the indictment.

Unindicted co-conspirator 3: former Rep. Mark Finchem

Unindicted co-conspirator 3 is identified as a former lawmaker who also spread false claims of 2020 election fraud and "helped organize a 'hearing' at a hotel in Phoenix on November 30, 2020." Finchem was a key organizer of that event and also hosted a hearing in Tucson that sought to prove voting fraud in the 2020 election.

The indictment said unindicted co-conspirator 3 also signed the joint resolution, which is borne out in the document obtained by The Republic.

Unindicted co-conspirator 4: Kenneth Chesebro

Unindicted co-conspirator 4 closely matches Kenneth Chesebro, a former Trump attorney. The indictment states this person "drafted memos that encouraged having the fake Republican electors vote on December 14, 2020" and helped organize fake electors' vote in seven states, including Arizona.

Chesebro met with Mayes' investigators in a December trip to Arizona. He authored memos that described how states could put forward electors who would back Trump, even though Trump lost in those states. And Chesebro cooperated with fake elector probes in Nevada and Georgia.

Unindicted co-conspirator 5: Jack Wilenchik

Unindicted co-conspirator 5 is portrayed in the indictment as an Arizona attorney who worked for the Trump campaign and helped set up the Dec. 14, 2020, vote by the 11 fake electors. This attorney also previously represented the state Republican Party and Kelli Ward in a lawsuit that challenged the validity of Arizona's 11 Democratic electors.

That description closely matches Jack Wilenchik, an Arizona attorney who helped organize the fake electors' meeting.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @maryjpitzl.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona fake electors: What's known about unindicted co-conspirators?