In June, Austin Smith, the former director of Turning Point Action, said the indictment against him that alleged he forged 100 signatures for political office was “ludicrous” and a Democrat plot. Five months later, he pleaded guilty to attempted election fraud while running for reelection in the Arizona Legislature.

According to Baptist News, he admitted to forgery and to knowingly deceiving the secretary of state’s office. Smith was originally charged with four felonies and 10 misdemeanors, but in the plea deal, he admitted to just two charges.  He will be sentenced on Jan. 6. Without a prior criminal record, he could just be fined with probation and face a ban from seeking public office.

Arizona residents elected Smith to serve in the Arizona Legislature in 2023 while he was working for Turning Point Action. He was endorsed by the Center for Arizona Policy Action, joined the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, and previously directed Students for Trump, which was overseen by TPUSA for years.

Smith first denied the fraud charges but also claimed that he could not prove his innocence in court. He resigned from Turning Point and halted his reelection campaign.

As Baptist News points out, Smith is not the only person affiliated with TPUSA, the organization founded by conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, indicted for election crimes.

Tyler Bowyer, the former chief operating officer of Turning Point USA, was reportedly one of 11 fake electors indicted over falsely claiming Trump won the state in 2020. Bowyer was one of more than 70 people pardoned by Trump.  He is now the COO of Turning Point Action. State Sen. Jake Hoffman was also indicted for election interference.

Last November, Turning Point Action was fined for failing to disclose its donors after the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint in 2021.