Here’s who has surrendered so far in Trump’s Georgia case
In the wake of the release of an indictment by a grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., last week, nine of the 19 defendants named in the case surrounding efforts to interfere in the results of the 2020 election have surrendered to local law enforcement.
Former President Donald Trump, perhaps the most prominent defendant in the case, is expected to surrender Thursday. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis gave those indicted until Friday at noon to turn themselves in. The defendants face state Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act charges.
So far, the list of those who have surrendered includes two fake electors David Shafer and Cathy Latham, Ray Smith, a Georgia-based attorney who worked for Trump post-election, Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney who worked on the fake electors plan, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, attorney Sidney Powell, who worked on Trump’s 2020 campaign, Jenna Ellis, a lawyer for Trump and bail bond business owner Scott Hall.
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark are both attempting to avoid surrender in the Peach State, but Willis urged a judge to prevent them from blocking their arrest Wednesday.
David Shafer
David Shafer. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
David Shafer is the former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party and is accused in the indictment of helping organize a mid-December meeting of 16 people in the Georgia Capitol to sign fake Electoral College documents. Like Meadows and Clark, he is also trying to get his case moved to federal court. He surrendered Wednesday morning.
Shafer, who is facing seven counts including impersonating a public officer, forgery, false statements and attempting to file false documents, seemed to take pride in his arrest, making his mugshot his current profile picture on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He even announced the change to his profile picture in a separate post.
“Good morning! #NewProfilePicture,” he captioned the Wednesday post featuring the mugshot.
Cathy Latham
Cathy Latham. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
Cathy Latham is the former Coffee County Republican Party chairwoman and is accused of signing the fake Electoral College documents alongside participating in a breach of voting systems at an elections office in Coffee County, Ga. She also surrendered Wednesday morning.
Latham can be seen in footage from Jan. 7, 2021, at the elections office welcoming in employees from a technology solutions firm allegedly paid for by Sidney Powell.
Ray Smith
Ray Smith. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
Ray Smith is a former member of Trump’s legal team who testified at three Georgia state Legislature hearings in which, alongside other Trump allies, he promoted invalid claims of election fraud. Like Latham and Shafer, he surrendered Wednesday.
His participation in the hearings led to three counts of soliciting a public officer to violate their oath and two counts of making false statements. Alongside these charges, he faces six counts related to the false electors scheme, featuring forgery, false statements and conspiracy charges.
John Eastman
John Eastman, left, an attorney indicted with former President Donald Trump, leaves after speaking to media outside the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, where he was booked on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. His attorney David Wolfe speaks to press in the background. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
John Eastman is a former lawyer for Trump who created and propagated a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 election via the fake electors scheme and then having then-Vice President Mike Pence throw out the real electors. He surrendered Tuesday.
“I am here today to surrender to an indictment that should never have been brought,” Eastman said in a statement posted to his attorneys’ website in the wake of his surrender. “It represents a crossing of the Rubicon for our country, implicating the fundamental First Amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances.”
He faces nine charges in the indictment in Georgia, covering counts including the state RICO charges, forgery and conspiring to commit false statements and writings.
Rudy Giuliani
A mugshot of former New York City Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
The former New York City mayor and former personal attorney for the 45th president, Rudy Giuliani, faces 13 charges for multiple actions including his promotion of lies about election fraud and the fake electors scheme. After his surrender at the Fulton County jail on Wednesday, he told reporters that Willis’ case against him infringed on the First Amendment rights of those speaking up for Trump.
“If they could do this to me, they could do this to you,” Giuliani said.
He appeared at the same Georgia Legislature hearings at Smith, for which he received counts of soliciting lawmakers to violate their oaths of office and making false statements. Giuliani’s RICO charges may seem ironic to some, as he pioneered the use of them during his time as a prosecutor in Manhattan to take down members of the mafia.
Sidney Powell
Sidney Powell. (Fulton County Sheriff’s County)
Sidney Powell is a former lawyer for Trump’s 2020 campaign. She faces six other counts besides her RICO charges for her involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Powell, who became a notable surrogate for election fraud claims related to the 2020 election, surrendered Wednesday.
Her charges include conspiracy to commit election fraud for her actions related to the Coffee County election office breach alongside a series of computer crimes and conspiracy to defraud the state.
Jenna Ellis
Jenna Ellis. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
Jenna Ellis, a former lawyer for Trump, faces two charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Beyond the RICO charge, she is accused of soliciting the violation of an oath of a public officer. She surrendered Wednesday. In an apparent response to her surrender, she posted Bible verses alongside her mugshot on X.
“‘But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you…’ Matt 5:44,” her post read. “‘But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.’ Psalm 32:10-11”
Ellis’ solicitation charge stems from her appearance at one of the Georgia Legislature hearings in December.
Kenneth Chesebro
Kenneth Chesebro. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer and coordinator in the fake elector scheme, faces seven charges for his actions in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He originally began working with the Trump campaign in connection with their legal efforts in Wisconsin, drafting memos to help plot the fake elector scheme. He surrendered Wednesday.
Scott Hall
Bail bond business owner Scott Hall was the first of the nine defendants to surrender Tuesday. He faces seven criminal charges in relation to the Coffee County election office breach. Beyond RICO charges, he faces conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to defraud the state and violation counts. He was reportedly among individuals welcomed into the election office by Cathy Latham.
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