In a legal move aimed at shedding light on alleged fraudulent practices, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has taken action against Advanced Micro Targeting (AMT), an out-of-state signature-gathering company. The lawsuit, which was filed today, seeks to compel AMT to surrender documents pertaining to an investigation initiated by the Attorney General’s Office in November 2025. The investigation was started after reports suggested that AMT could have potentially broken Missouri laws by employing illegal migrants for petition efforts and by failing to make their status known to clients.
According to the details that have started to emerge, AMT has been less than forthcoming with the information requested by state investigators. "My Office has good reason to believe AMT fraudulently employed illegal migrants to collect signatures and advance its agenda on Missouri, and we immediately launched an investigation to reveal the truth," Hanaway stated in Missouri Attorney General's Office press release. She went on to say that the company's refusal to cooperate led to the lawsuit. The state is determined to ensure that outside entities do not corruptly influence local elections through illegal labor.
The company is under scrutiny for potentially providing Missouri clients with illegal migrant workers, which would violate the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA)—a law prohibiting business deception and unfair practices. Furthermore, Missouri legislation strictly prohibits hiring unauthorized workers, as outlined in RSMo Section 285.530, which makes the continued employment or hiring of unauthorized aliens a legal offense, and Section 577.675, deeming the act of transporting an illegal alien a class D felony.
Despite the pressing demand for cooperation, AMT instead chose to challenge the Civil Investigative Demand (CID) through legal objections. As detailed in the lawsuit, "AMT did not provide any information in response to the CID on the previously-agreed upon deadline of January 12, 2026. Instead, on January 12, AMT’s counsel emailed a letter to the Attorney General’s Office detailing a litany of objections to the CID’s legality and form," as mentioned on the Missouri Attorney General's Office website.
The pursuit of transparency in this case is undeterred, with Attorney General Hanaway determined to shine a light on AMT's activities. In her concluding remarks she emphasized, "We are taking them to court because Missourians deserve to know whether or not AMT is engaging in illegal activity. Missouri voters deserve transparency and lawful conduct from anyone seeking to influence their elections." The lawsuit asks the Court to mandate that AMT produce all originally requested communications. The full details of the lawsuit can be accessed at the Missouri Attorney General's Office website via this link.
