ATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury on charges that he criminally interfered in Georgia's 2020 election, setting the stage for a lengthy legal fight under the state's wide-reaching racketeering statute.
Trump and 18 co-conspirators face charges under a 98-page, 41-count indictment unveiled by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis Monday evening.
Court records show Trump faces 13 counts, including violation of Georgia's RICO statute. Multiple others, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, are also charged the indictment's cover page shows.
Trump's 13 charges include:
- Violation of the Georgia RICO Act
- Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer
- Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (2 counts)
- Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (2 counts)
- Conspiracy to commit filing false documents
- Filing false documents
- Solicitation of violations of oath by public officer (3 counts)
- False statements and writings (2 counts)
Trump's charges stem from his alleged efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results and the larger, multi-state scheme to keep his hold on the presidency.
In addition to the 19 named defendants, there are 30 unindicted co-conspirators who were not identified in court documents.
This is the first time a former president has faced criminal charges in Georgia, and the indictment comes roughly three years after Trump's nearly 12,000 vote loss to Democrat Joe Biden here.
Willis said in a news conference Monday night that those indicted have until Aug. 25 at noon to surrender themselves. She will push for a trial date to be set within six months.
Who else was indicted in Georgia election probe? Who are they?
There are 18 others who were indicted alongside the former president. All face charges of violating Georgia's RICO Act.
Others indicted in the case include:
- Giuliani: A former Trump attorney, he's facing 13 charges, including false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and solicitation of violation of oath by public officer. Giuliani made allegations of fraud during hearings before the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate. Those claims resulted in death threats against Fulton election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. Giuliani accused the pair of mishandling ballots.
- Meadows: Trump's former chief of staff, Meadows faces a charge of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer. The charge is tied to the Jan. 2, 2021 Trump-Raffensperger call.
- John Eastman: A member of the Trump legal team, Eastman was a key player in the plot to have Trump supporters pose as presidential electors in battleground states, including Georgia. Eastman faces nine charges, including conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer and conspiracy to commit forgery.
- Kenneth Chesebro: A little-known attorney, Fulton County prosecutors allege that Chesebro worked with the leadership of the Georgia Republican Party, including then-chairman David Shafer, to have 16 Republicans meet at the Georgia State Capitol to sign Electoral College documents falsely claiming that Trump won the election. Chesebro faces seven charges related to his role in the wider elector plan.
- Jeffrey Clark: A former Trump DOJ official, Clark worked to keep the former president in power. Clark faces a charge of criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings.
- Jenna Ellis: A former Trump attorney, Ellis also attended the Dec. 3, 2020, Georgia Senate hearing where Trump allies claimed voter fraud handed the election to Biden. Ellis also authored two memos sent to Trump and others stating that Pence should ignore electoral college votes from certain battleground states, including Georgia. Ellis faces a charge of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer related to the elector plot.
- Ray Smith: An attorney working with the Trump team, Smith faces 12 charges stemming from the Trump elector plot and election fraud claims that he pushed during a meeting in front of state lawmakers.
- Robert Cheeley: A Georgia attorney, Cheeley faces 10 charges, primarily stemming from his alleged role in the alternate elector scheme and the presentation of false fraud claims to Georgia state Senators. He was also charged with perjury for allegedly lying to the special purpose grand jury that finished its work in January.
- Michael Roman: A Philadelphia GOP campaign operative, Roman was director of Election Day operations for Trump’s 2020 campaign. He faces seven charges, including multiple conspiracy charges. The charges stem from several events, including his alleged role in the Trump elector scheme.
- David Shafer: The former state GOP chair, Shafer faces eight charges, including impersonating a public officer and forgery. Shafer led the meeting of fake Trump electors at the Georgia State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020.
- Shawn Still : A current Georgia state Senator, Still was the secretary of the fake Trump elector meeting. He faces seven charges, including impersonating a public officer and forgery. He was elected to office following his alleged role in this plot.
- Stephen Lee: A police chaplain from Illinois, Lee went to the home of Fulton election worker Ruby Freeman and threatened her. He allegedly pressured Freeman to falsely admit that she committed election fraud. Lee faces five charges, mostly related to influencing witnesses.
- Harrison Floyd: The executive director of a national campaign coalition called Black Voices for Trump, Floyd was also involved in the alleged plot to pressure Freeman. Floyd faces three charges, mostly related to influencing witnesses.
- Trevian Kutti: The one-time publicist for the rapper formerly known as Kayne West, Kutti was also involved in the alleged Freeman pressure plot. Kutti faces charges of conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings as well as influencing witnesses
- Sydney Powell: A former federal prosecutor, Powell joined the legal team formed to challenge the 2020 election results on Trump’s behalf. Powell was also involved in the alleged election data breach in Coffee County, Georgia, according to a court filing seeking her testimony. Powell coordinated with Atlanta-based forensic data firm SullivanStrickler to allegedly copy the data. She faces seven counts, including conspiracy to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit computer trespass.
- Cathy Latham: The former GOP chair of Coffee County, Latham was one of the sixteen Trump electors. She also played a key role in the Coffee County data breach. Video reviewed by 11Alive shows Latham escorting operatives working with Powell through the county’s election office in early January 2021. They accessed and copied state software and election data. She faces 11 charges tied to both events.
- Scott Hall: An Atlanta-area businessman, Hall faces seven charges related to the accessing and copying of election data in Coffee County.
- Misty Hampton: The election director in Coffee County, the data copying occurred under her watch. Hampton faces seven charges.
How did we get here?
Willis began investigating the matter shortly after the infamous January 2021 phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where the former president referenced "finding" the ballots needed to undo Biden's win.
The probe quickly expanded to include the alleged copying of election data in a south Georgia county, a scheme to have Trump supporters pose as presidential electors, the resignation of a U.S. Attorney, and a sweeping pressure campaign that targeted the state's top elected officials.
After a year of handling it on her own, Fulton County Superior Court Judges granted Willis' request to convene a special purpose grand jury. The panel lacked the authority to indict, but it could compel the testimony of reluctant witnesses and issue a final report with charging recommendations.
The jury began its work in May 2022. Legal fights to avoid testimony went through various courtrooms across the country. Only a select few were spared from appearing.
The jurors heard from 75 witnesses, ranging from Atlanta election workers to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. It completed its work in January.
While much of the report still remains a secret, jurors unanimously found that no widespread fraud took place in Georgia during the 2020 election that could have overturned the outcome. That panel also believed that at least one witness lied during their testimony.
Special purpose grand jury foreperson Emily Korhs offered NBC News, the Associated Press, CNN and other media outlets the most in-depth look at the jury's work in interviews in early 2023. The final report recommended indictments for more than a dozen people, she said.
Kohrs also hinted that charges were recommended against certain well-known people. She gave cryptic answers when asked if former President Donald Trump was on that list.
“I don't think that there are any giant plot twists coming," Kohrs told NBC News.
In the seven months that followed the jury's dissolution, Willis and her office worked to make deals with potential defendants to strengthen their case.
At least half of the Republicans who cast false Electoral College ballots accepted immunity deals, according to Fulton County court records. It's unclear who else among Trump's allies took a deal.
The Georgia indictment adds to the former president's mounting legal troubles.
Trump was indicted in New York on charges of falsifying business records. Federal prosecutors charged Trump in June over his handling of classified documents in June.
Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump again on Aug. 1 for alleged crimes tied to the election and the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.