Former US President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies have been charged in a Georgia election inquiry related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. This marks the fourth criminal case against Trump within a span of five months. Trump, who is a prominent Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential race, is facing 13 charges including racketeering and election meddling. Despite the charges, he denies all allegations, attributing them to political motivations.
The investigation, led by Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis, was launched in February 2021 and has resulted in a 98-page indictment. In this indictment, a total of 41 charges have been listed against the 19 defendants. Willis has offered the defendants the chance to voluntarily surrender by noon on August 25th, with the intention of trying all accused individuals together in court.
The group of alleged co-conspirators includes figures such as former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and former White House lawyer John Eastman. Others mentioned are Jeffrey Clark, a former justice department official, as well as Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis, two Trump lawyers known for amplifying unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
The indictment alleges that the defendants knowingly participated in a conspiracy to unlawfully alter the election outcome in favor of Trump. Among the charges leveled against the former president are racketeering, solicitation of violating an oath by a public officer, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, and making false statements and filing false documents.
Describing the defendants as a "criminal organization," the indictment accuses them of various additional crimes such as influencing witnesses, computer trespass, theft, and perjury. The most severe charge involves violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which could lead to a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. This act is aimed at dismantling organized criminal syndicates and helps establish connections between those who carried out illegal actions and those who issued instructions.