Alabama native Gregg Phillips has been arrested for contempt of court in Texas related to his work with election integrity group True the Vote.
On Monday, a federal judge found Phillips and True the Vote Leader Catherine Engelbrecht in contempt of court for not giving up sources in an investigation into voter fraud. The two will remain behind bars until they agree to release the names of those involved in their investigation.
The pair had been gathering information and sharing details of their findings concerning alleged irregularities in the 2020 election. The sharing of information led them into the Houston, Texas, courtroom last week with U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt presiding.
A defamation and computer fraud lawsuit, filed by election vendor Konnech Corporation, claims True the Vote has been spreading slanderous rumors about the company and its CEO and that they went about gaining data on the company in an unlawful manner.
“Konnech’s lawyers ridiculed and mocked Catherine for describing our teams as patriots,” Phillips posted on TruthSocial. “She answered with confidence and pride in her Country. She didn’t buckle. She stood against the abuse and the oppressors. I’m so proud to be her friend, her colleague, and her brother in Christ.”
Konnech CEO Eugene Yu was arrested in early October after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office charged him with suspicion of theft of personal identifying information. Konnech distributes and sells its proprietary PollChief software, an election worker management system, which contains the personal information of poll workers. Investigators found the information was being stored on servers in the People's Republic of China, which is a breach of contract and also illegal. Konnech denies ever hacking personal data information or storing it in China.
At the time of the arrest, Konnech had already filed the defamation lawsuit against Phillips and Engelbrecht. Judge Hoyt said the defamation lawsuit and the arrest of Yu are unrelated.
Thursday, Hoyt demanded specific source information from Phillips and Engelbrecht and threatened to have them arrested if they did not produce the information by Monday. Choosing to protect their source rather than give up the information, the two were later taken into custody.
Shortly after the arrests, news organizations began to accuse True the Vote of spreading voter fraud conspiracy theories and of pretending to be victims of a smear campaign.
Reuters reported Phillips and Engelbrecht have a “history of spreading false claims about voter fraud” and said their film, “2000 Mules,” has been discredited, proving their claims about the 2020 presidential election are false. Reuters also reported that allegations made by True the Vote are what triggered the investigation leading to Yu’s arrest, contrary to Judge Hoyt's claim.
Despite the arrest of Yu, Votebeat Texas reported True the Vote is trying to “maintain its conspiratorial claims about Konnech.”
Yu has been released on bond and is scheduled for a hearing this week in Los Angeles. His attorneys said he was wrongfully arrested.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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