Arizona attorney general agrees to drop charges against Jim Lamon in 'fake electors' case

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office has agreed to drop charges against one of the so-called "fake electors" accused of trying to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election.

A spokesman for Mayes confirmed she will dismiss the nine criminal charges against former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon, who was one of 11 Arizona Republicans who signed a document sent to Washington falsely claiming President Donald Trump defeated former President Joe Biden in the state in 2020.

The Arizona Republic first reported the decision.

A state grand jury first indicted the so-called fake electors more than a year ago — along with several allies including attorney Rudy Giuliani and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows — on fraud and other felony charges.

Attorney Dennis Wilenchik, who represents Lamon, said he expects Mayes to file a motion to dismiss the charges on Monday.

“We are very pleased with the head of the criminal division, Nick Klingerman’s decision, as Mr. Lamon was prepared to battle this out till the end to preserve his good reputation as a patriot exercising his lawful rights,” Wilenchik said in an email.

He said Lamon did not agree to a plea deal and is not required to cooperate with the prosecution of the remaining defendants.

“It is doubtful he will be called as a witness by the State,” Wilenchik said.

Wilenchik said Lamon has agreed not to object to certain subpoenas for messages sought by prosecutors “that we do not believe implicate him or anyone else in any criminal activity.”

“They were received as part of a subpoena in the ongoing case,” Richie Taylor, a spokesman for Mayes, said of the messages in question. “We couldn't use that without Lamon's approval because the case is stayed right now. So what this agreement allows us to do is get those emails now and use them for the case.”

He declined to say what is in the messages.

“I can't comment further right now. They are important to the state's case. That's all I can say today,” Taylor said.

Lamon will be the third defendant no longer facing prosecution; Loraine Pellegrino pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis saw her charges dropped after she agreed to help prosecutors.

Taylor said no negotiations are underway with any other defendants in the case.

The Arizona case has dragged on for more than a year and a half since Mayes first announced the grand jury indictment in April 2024. It is now in limbo as the state Supreme Court decides whether to accept Mayes’ appeal challenging a lower court ruling sending it back to the grand jury.

In May, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sam Myers granted a motion by the defendants to toss the original indictment after finding that prosecutors failed to provide the text of the federal Electoral Count Act to grand jurors.

The law, which dates to 1887, outlines procedures for counting electoral votes. Attorneys for the defendants argued it provided a legal framework for them to submit an “alternate” slate of electors in late 2020, as unproven claims of voter fraud permeated Republican politics and lawsuits challenging the results worked their way through the court.

Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services contributed to this report.