First co-defendant pleads guilty in Trump Georgia RICO case

September 29th, 2023

The sun sets on the Fulton County Courthouse, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. A bail bondsman charged alongside former President Donald Trump and 17 others has become the first defendant in the Georgia election interference case to accept a plea deal with prosecutors. Scott Hall pleaded guilty in court on Friday, Sept. 29, to five counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performance of election duties, all misdemeanors. Prosecutors had accused him of participating in a breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz, File)

A bail bondsman has become the first person to plead guilty in the Georgia criminal case focused on former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Scott Hall was initially charged with several felony counts in connection with efforts to access voting equipment in Coffee County, Ga.

Former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton and former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham are also facing criminal charges related to that plan.

In front of Fulton Superior Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, Hall pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of election duties.

His sentence includes five years of probation, a $5,000 fine, 200 hours of community service, a ban on participating in election administration activities and a letter of apology to the people of Georgia.

Hall also agreed to “testify truthfully” in the trials of the 18 other co-defendants, including Trump.

Jury selection for the first two co-defendants, lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, begins October 20.

Prosecutors say Powell helped lead the efforts to breach voting machines.

In a hearing earlier Friday, McAfee said potential jurors will be told the trial is expected to last three to five months, with breaks during the week of Thanksgiving and the last two weeks of November.

McAfee asked prosecutors if they could make plea offers to Powell and Chesebro in the near future.

Special prosecutor Nathan Wade responded, “I believe that we can.”

McAfee has yet to schedule a date for Trump and the other co-defendants, who did not demand a speedy trial and will be tried separately.