Trump and 18 others charged in Georgia election inquiry
15-08-2023, 13:06

Font size: [ A+ ] / [ A- ]

Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state of Georgia.

It is the fourth criminal case brought against him in as many months.

Mr Trump, who is the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024, was indicted along with 18 other allies.

He denies all 13 charges against him, which include racketeering and election meddling. He has said they are politically motivated.

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis first launched an investigation in February 2021 into allegations of election meddling against Mr Trump and his associates.

In a 98-page indictment made public late on Monday, prosecutors listed 41 charges against the 19 defendants.

Ms Willis announced she was giving defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday 25 August. She said she plans to try all 19 accused together.

The list of alleged co-conspirators includes former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former White House lawyer John Eastman.

Others include a former justice department official, Jeffrey Clark, and Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis - two Trump lawyers who amplified unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.

The indictment says the defendants "knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favour of Trump".

The former president is accused of the following felony counts, including:

  • Violating Georgia's racketeering act
  • Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer
  • Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer
  • Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree
  • False statements and writings and filing false documents

The indictment refers to the defendants as a "criminal organization", accusing them of other crimes including influencing witnesses, computer trespass, theft and perjury.

The most serious charge, violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico) Act, is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. 

The act - designed to help take down organised criminal syndicates like the mafia - helps prosecutors connect the dots between underlings who broke laws and those who gave them orders. 

Mr Trump, currently the frontrunner in the Republican Party's race to pick its next candidate for the White House, said the investigation by Ms Willis, a Democrat, was politically motivated.

 

 

More coverage

line

In a statement, the Trump campaign described the district attorney as a "rabid partisan" who had filed "these bogus indictments" to interfere with the 2024 presidential race and "damage the dominant Trump campaign".

"This latest co-ordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes the true motivation driving their fabricated accusations," said the statement.

He is the first former president in US history to face criminal charges.

There was confusion earlier on Monday when a list of a criminal charges against Mr Trump appeared on a Fulton County website before the grand jury had voted to return an indictment.

The filing said Mr Trump had been charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit fraud and making false statements.

A spokesperson for Ms Willis said the document was "fictitious" but did not explain how it ended up on the court's website.

Mr Trump and his allies seized on the apparent clerical error to claim the process was rigged.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump was charged by federal prosecutors in Washington DC with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

That charge sheet devoted significant time to the Trump team's activities in Georgia. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty in that case.

Ms Willis' investigation focuses specifically on Georgia, a key battleground state for the US presidency that Mr Trump narrowly lost.

In January 2021, Mr Trump was recorded on a phone call asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes - the number he would have required to beat Mr Biden in that state.

The indictment outlines an alleged scheme to tamper with voting machines in one Georgia county and steal data.

It also mentions an alleged scheme to submit false lists of electors, officials who make up the Electoral College that elects the president and vice-president.

Mr Trump also faces a New York state trial on 25 March next year involving a hush money payment to a porn star. And he is due to go on trial in Florida on 20 May on allegations related to his handling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence after his presidency.

In both cases Mr Trump also pleaded not guilty.

 

BBC

Comments: 3647
#3647   Geraldine
      
References:


Neosurf online pokies australia real money online casinos that accept neosurf australia
Today, 04:53
#3646   Kala
      
References:


Neosurf deposit bonus aus neosurf online gambling real money australia
Today, 01:04
#3645   Rozella
      
Yesterday, 12:38
#3644   Janine
      
References:


Online casinos accepting direct bank transfer australia
https://pad.koeln.ccc.de
30 October 2026 17:21
#3643   Crystle
      
References:


International wire transfer casino australia https://text.dsf.hs-heilbronn.de/HHQNSvjcQ7OXuYUw80TFuw
30 October 2026 17:08
#3642   Melvin
      
References:


Online casino fast bank transfer withdrawal australia Australian Osko casinos
28 October 2026 20:17
#3641   Nigel
      
References:


How to play pokies with payid payid pokies withdrawal
28 October 2026 02:00
#3640   Eliza
      
References:


VIP payid pokies australia https://formulamasa.com/elearning/members/gamecactus36/
27 October 2026 20:04
#3639   Francine
      
References:


Best payid pokies sites trusted
payid pokies australia
26 October 2026 13:03
#3638   Geraldo
      
References:


Secure payid pokies https://codimd.syssec.org/W0YswRqMRZO7CLr6fejlkA
24 October 2026 05:09
#3637   Chance
      
References:


Online casinos bank transfer Australia https://md.coredump.ch/w5J048V5TD2QmVSiOcI-Vw
23 October 2026 14:41
#3636   Elba
      
References:


Online casinos accepting bank transfer australia https://www.notizen.kita.bayern/qeBPwYe9Tw-zMkcdQZU_Eg
23 October 2026 02:50
#3635   Flossie
      
References:


MiFinity casino tournaments Australia schoolido.lu
22 October 2026 14:56
#3634   Cherie
      
References:


MiFinity casino fast payouts Australia https://molchanovonews.ru/user/jointurn47/
22 October 2026 13:42
#3633   Marietta
      
References:


Best MiFinity online casino AU MiFinity casino free spins Australia
22 October 2026 05:59
#3632   Lukas
      
References:


Best australian bpay pokies mobile pokies deposit bpay
22 October 2026 00:48
#3631   Antonetta
      
References:


Desktop payid pokies https://brandmoshaver.com/user/bonsaiheron5/
21 October 2026 21:56
#3630   Janeen
      
References:


Australian pokies that accept payid https://pad.nixnet.services/jytNEHfVSfCjjJruahRgbw
21 October 2026 20:48
#3629   Luke
      
References:


5 minimum deposit pokies bpay top bpay
pokies
21 October 2026 16:31
#3628   Lanny
      
References:


Fast payout payid pokies canadaasians.com
21 October 2026 13:43
Add Comments

Name:*
E-Mail:
  Geo Keyboard  
 

Dear reader, guardian.ge welcomes your comments. Please express your views on topic and be respectful of others.

bold italic underline strike | align left centered align right | Ensert smilies insert linkInsert protected URL Choice the color | hidden text insert quote Convert selected text from transliteration to Cyrillic alphabet Insert spoiler

Code: *


Back1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 183Next