UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2026:
Since the June 2025 acquittal, the criminal case against Steven Kramer remains closed, but related civil and regulatory issues continue. Kramer still refuses to pay the $6 million FCC civil penalty tied to robocall and spoofing violations, and no final federal enforcement resolution has been announced. In late 2025, a New Hampshire court also ordered Kramer to pay $22,500 in damages to three voters who sued over the calls; he publicly rejected the ruling, and additional civil enforcement efforts may follow. Meanwhile, broader debate over AI-generated election content and synthetic voice regulation continues at both state and federal levels, with policymakers citing the case as evidence that existing election laws may not fully address AI-enabled political messaging or voter influence tactics.
ORIGINAL NEWS STORY:
Individual Charged with Voter Suppression Over AI-Generated President Biden Robocalls
In a significant development on May 23, New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella announced the indictment of Steven Kramer, 54, of New Orleans, LA, on charges of felony voter suppression and misdemeanor impersonation of a candidate. The charges stem from an investigation into misleading AI robocalls targeting New Hampshire voters.
On January 22, 2024, the Attorney General’s Office revealed that it was investigating robocalls sent to thousands of voters. The calls used an AI-generated voice that sounded like President Biden. They urged recipients to “save [their] vote for the November election” and claimed, “Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday.” Investigators said the calls appeared spoofed to look like they came from the treasurer of a committee backing Biden’s write-in campaign for the primary.
Charges
Formella’s office charged Kramer with:
- 13 felony counts of voter suppression under RSA 659:40, III.
- 13 misdemeanor counts of impersonation of a candidate under RSA 666:7-a.
The charges were spread across four counties based on where the affected voters lived: Rockingham (five counts), Belknap (three), Grafton (three), and Merrimack (two).
“New Hampshire remains committed to ensuring that our elections are free from unlawful interference, and our investigation into this matter continues,” Formella said at the time. He added that the FCC would also bring enforcement action.
New Hampshire Statutes
RSA 659:40, III prohibits attempts to prevent or deter voting through deceptive or fraudulent information. Prosecutors alleged Kramer violated this statute by transmitting prerecorded calls with spoofed sources and misleading messages. RSA 666:7-a makes it a misdemeanor to place a call while falsely representing oneself as a candidate. Authorities argued Kramer knowingly did so through the AI-generated calls. Formella emphasized that Kramer was presumed innocent until proven guilty. Assistant Attorneys General Brendan O’Donnell and Matthew Conley led the prosecution, with Investigator Richard Tracy overseeing the case.
Active Investigation
Even after Kramer’s indictment, investigators continued to pursue other possible actors involved in the calls. Federal and state officials stressed that protecting the electoral process from AI-enabled interference remained a priority.
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