Trump moved to dismiss the case against him in Georgia. Where do his codefendants stand?
President-elect Donald Trump asked a Georgia appeals court to dismiss the election interference case against him earlier this week, citing a longstanding legal memo from the Justice Department that says presidents cannot be prosecuted while they are in office.
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The trial for Trump’s Georgia case was originally slated for October, but encountered delays after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade became public, and Trump’s lawyers argued that Willis and her office should be removed from the case.
However, even if the case against Trump is dismissed, his allies may still face charges for their role in attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 election. Here’s where each of Trump’s 18 codefendants stand in his Georgia election interference case.
Who are Trump’s 18 Georgia codefendants?
Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s campaign lawyer and a key figure in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, initially faced 13 felony counts in Georgia, including charges related to the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act. He also repeatedly made false statements about election fraud and presented edited video footage to legislators at the state capitol in 2020. Earlier this year, he was ordered to pay $148 million in damages to two 2020 Georgia election workers after falsely accusing them of election fraud.
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John Eastman, an ex-Trump campaign attorney, faces eight felony charges, including conspiracy to impersonate a public officer and conspiracy to commit false statements and writings. He played a key part in pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject Democratic electors in Georgia, and testified before the Georgia General Assembly alongside Giuliani to convince lawmakers that there had been widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Sidney Powell, a Trump campaign attorney who led challenges to overturn the election results in several battleground states, was accused of coordinating with a Georgia-based forensic data firm to breach voting equipment in Coffee County. She was initially charged with seven felony counts, but struck a deal with prosecutors and ultimately pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor charges
Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff during his first term, sat in on the call where Trump attempted to pressure Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger into overturning the election results in his favor. He also allegedly coordinated with fake electors in Georgia and other states, and urged Justice Department officials to investigate allegations of voter fraud. He was charged with two felonies in Georgia: Violation of Georgia’s RICO Act and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.
Cathleen Latham, the former chair of the Coffee County GOP, was involved in an attempt to breach voting equipment in Coffee County to prove that there had been voter fraud during the 2020 election, and served as a fake elector. She was charged with 11 felony counts, including RICO violations and conspiracy to commit election fraud.
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Scott Hall, an Atlanta bail bondsman who prosecutors say helped remove election equipment and computer voting data from Coffee County, was initially charged with seven felony counts. He was the first of the 19 people involved in Trumps Georgia election interference case to make a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performance of election duties.
Kenneth Chesebro, another one of Trump’s campaign attorneys, allegedly played a key role in coordinating the slate of fake GOP electors in Georgia. Originally charged with seven felony counts, he ultimately pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents in October 2023. However, earlier this week his lawyer asked Judge Scott McAfee to void Chesebro’s plea deal.
Trevian Kutti, a publicist who once worked for rapper Kanye West, was indicted for her attempt to influence an election worker. She allegedly visited the home of Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman after being put in touch with her by Harrison Floyd, a co-defendant in the case. She claimed to be a crisis manager, telling Freeman to confess to committing election fraud or risk arrest. She was charged with three felony counts.
Harrison Floyd, a former senior campaign staffer and the director of Black Voices for Trump, collaborated with Trevian Kutti to pressure Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman into confessing to election fraud. He was charged with three felony counts, and was later prevented from speaking or making social media posts about witnesses or others charged in the case after Judge Scott McAfee ruled that he violated the terms of his bond agreement.
Jeffrey Clark, a former assistant U.S. attorney general, is accused of drafting a letter to state leaders falsely alleging that the Justice Department had “serious concerns” about election fraud in Georgia. Though he never sent the letter, it would have urged state legislators to convene a special session to overturn the election results. He is charged with two felony counts.
Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a former law enforcement officer, was also involved in the attempt to intimidate Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman. He visited Freeman’s house offering pro bono legal assistance, and allegedly arranged for Harrison Floyd to meet with her to get her to falsely admit to election fraud.
Jenna Ellis, another Trump campaign attorney, was indicted for her involvement in deceiving the Georgia legislature about election fraud alongside Rudy Giuliani. She also penned memos from Trump to then-Vice President Mike Pence urging him to disregard the certified electoral votes from Georgia. Initially charged with two felonies, she made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings in October 2023.
Sen. Shawn Still, who was recently reelected to the Georgia state Senate, was indicted for his involvement in Georgia’s fake elector scheme. He initially faced seven felony counts, including forgery, impersonating a public officer and making false statements and writings, but Judge Scott McAfee later struck one of the counts. A federal appeals court also rejected an attempt from the senator and two other fake electors to move their case to federal court.
Ray Smith III, an Atlanta attorney, was initially charged with 12 counts for his role in advising the fake electors in a meeting at the state capitol where 16 people signed documents falsely claiming that Trump won the 2020 election.
David Shafer, the former Georgia Republican Party Chair, was accused of overseeing the fake elector meeting at the state capitol in Atlanta. He was charged with eight felony counts, including RICO violations, forgery and impersonating a public officer.
Michael Roman, who served as the director of the Trump campaign’s election day operations, faces seven felony charges related to organizing a slate of fake electors in Georgia. He also filed a motion alleging that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from the election case in Georgia due to her romantic relationship with the prosecutor she hired, Nathan Wade.
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Robert Cheeley, an Alpharetta attorney, presented video clips of Fulton County elections workers tabulating ballots at State Farm Arena to the state legislature, falsely claiming that ballots were being double- or triple-counted. He faces 10 felony charges, including RICO violations, conspiracy charges and forgery.
Misty Hampton, the former Coffee County Elections Director, has been indicted for her role in allowing Trump’s allies to breach election equipment. She faces seven felony counts, including RICO violations and a range of conspiracy charges.
Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY who focuses on Georgia politics. She is @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.
