In a plot twist that seems ripped straight from a political comedy, three allies of former President Trump are now facing charges in Wisconsin for their alleged roles in a 2020 fake elector scheme. No, it’s not the latest sequel to Weekend at Bernie’s, but it certainly has its share of ludicrous elements.

The charged individuals — Kenneth Chesebro, James Troupis, and Mike Roman — are each staring down a felony count of forgery. If convicted, they could be exploring the fine cuisine of prison cafeterias for up to six years and contemplating their financial decisions with a $10,000 fine.

Their initial court appearances are set for September 19 in Dane County Circuit Court. That leaves them just enough time to figure out how to react when the judge presumably asks, "Whose bright idea was this?"

The trio's alleged escapade involved presenting a certificate of purported electoral votes from individuals who were not Wisconsin’s duly appointed electors. It's the political equivalent of showing up to a masquerade ball with a plastic Power Rangers mask and insisting you're King Henry VIII.

Kenneth Chesebro, the plot’s philosophical architect, sent memos in November and December 2020 to Troupis and others, outlining the scheme. Roman, meanwhile, was serving as the director of Election Day operations for Trump’s 2020 campaign, which adds a dash of irony to the entire affair.

Adding to the complexity, Chesebro struck a plea deal in October 2023 in a separate 2020 election case in Georgia. He’s like the plot's reluctant anti-hero who can't resist dipping his toes into various legal puddles.

This farcical scenario isn’t confined to Wisconsin alone. The fake elector scheme has led to indictments in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and, unsurprisingly, Georgia. Each state is doing its best to remind everyone that electoral fraud isn’t as glamorous or straightforward as Hollywood might suggest.

Trump himself is facing charges related to election interference in Georgia and Washington, D.C. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is orchestrating the charges in this laborious opera, making it clear that the theme of accountability isn't as dead as some may have hoped.

Special counsel Jack Smith, presumably taking notes from an endless supply of political crime thrillers, has made the fake electors scheme a major component of the charges against Trump in federal court in D.C. While Trump’s trial is currently on hold as the Supreme Court contemplates his claim of absolute immunity, the plot’s tension remains as thick as a legal thriller’s final act.

Chesebro and Troupis have already settled a lawsuit in Wisconsin related to the scheme, releasing over 1,000 pages of emails and text messages. It’s a trove of digital correspondence that probably reads like a bizarre blend of strategy memos and half-baked screenplay ideas.

In a twist of remarkable self-awareness, ten of the fake electors in Wisconsin admitted in litigation last December that Joe Biden did, indeed, win the state in 2020. Sometimes reality does break in, even if just for a cameo.

As the curtain lifts on the court scenes, the defendants must grapple with this real-life drama’s consequences. In the meantime, the rest of us can’t help but watch as the political theater unfolds, marvelling at how truth sometimes really does outdo fiction – especially when fiction seems so predictably cliché.

In this chaotic ride through a labyrinth of legal and political subterfuge, the lesson is clear: reality often provides us with the most baffling and, occasionally, most entertaining plotlines.