Former President Donald Trump and 18 others were charged Monday in a sweeping racketeering indictment related to efforts to overturn 2020 election results in Georgia.
The indictment alleges that Trump and the other defendants "refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump."
Here's a look at each of the defendants, the charges they face and how prosecutors say they participated in the alleged scheme.
1. Donald Trump (13 counts)
Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reacts as he holds a campaign rally in Erie, Pa., on July 29, 2023.Lindsay Dedario/Reuters
Among the charges, the indictment states that Trump "falsely declared victory" in the 2020 presidential election during a nationally televised speech on Nov. 4, 2020, and that the speech was "an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy."
The indictment also cites the phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, stating that Trump is charged with unlawfully soliciting Raffensperger "to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense" of his oath as a public officer by "unlawfully influencing" the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Trump's campaign called the indictment "un-American and wrong" in a statement early Tuesday. The former president contends his actions were not illegal and the investigation is politically motivated.
2. Rudy Giuliani (13 counts)
Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for former U.S. President Donald Trump exits U.S. District Court after attending a hearing in a defamation suit related to the 2020 election results in Washington, U.S., May 19, 2023.Leah Millis/Reuters
According to prosecutors in Fulton County, one-time Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani aided Trump in perpetrating a sweeping effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, including by making false statements to state election officials and contributing to the harassment of two election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
Responding to the indictment, Giuliani said it was "an affront to American Democracy and does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system."
MORE: 'Perfect irony': Giuliani faces RICO charge similar to the one he popularized as prosecutor
3. John Eastman (9 counts)
Attorney John Eastman speaks next to U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, as Trump supporters gather in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.Jim Bourg/Reuters
The indictment names former Trump election lawyer John Eastman among those allegedly involved in a scheme to solicit public officers to unlawfully appoint Georgia presidential electors.
Eastman's attorney called the indictment a political move n a statement to the Washington Examiner.
"Lawyers everywhere should be sleepless over this latest stunt to criminalize their advocacy," Eastman's attorney, Harvey Silverglate, said in the statement. "This is a legal cluster bomb that leaves unexploded ordinances for lawyers to navigate in perpetuity."
4. Mark Meadows (2 counts)
Former White House Chief of Staff during the Trump administration Mark Meadows speaks during a forum titled House Rules and Process Changes for the 118th Congress at FreedowmWorks headquarters, Nov. 14, 2022, in Washington.Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Among the actions attributed to Trump's former chief of staff, on Dec. 22, 2020, Mark Meadows traveled to Cobb County Center and "attempted to observe the signature match audit being performed by law enforcement officers and officials from the Georgia Secretary of State despite the fact that the process was not open to the public," the indictment stated. The officials prevented Meadows from entering the space where the audit was being conducted, according to the indictment.
A day later, Trump placed a call to the office of the Georgia Secretary of State Chief Investigator Frances Watson that had been arranged by Meadows, during which Trump falsely stated he had won the 2020 election by "hundreds of thousands of votes," according to the indictment.
Meadows then sent a text message to a state investigator on Dec. 27, 2020, asking if there was a way to "speed up" results ahead of Jan. 6, "an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy," according to the indictment.
The indictment also identifies Meadows as being on Trump's Jan. 2, 2021, call to Raffensperger.
In a motion filed Tuesday seeking to move the case to federal court, Meadows' attorney, George Terwilliger, wrote: "Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the President's behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President."
"One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things," Terwilliger continued.
MORE: Meadows seeks to move Fulton County election case to federal court
5. Kenneth Chesebro (7 counts)
The indictment describes how several of the co-defendants, including attorney Kenneth Chesebro, allegedly worked together from Dec. 11, 2020, through Dec. 25, 2020, in several states including Georgia and Arizona to commit acts "in furtherance of the conspiracy." The acts include Chesebro sending emails to co-defendant Michael Roman regarding Trump presidential elector nominees in other states, according to the indictment.
On Dec. 13, 2020, Chesebro also sent an email to Giuliani outlining the "multiple strategies for disrupting and delaying the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021," according to the indictment.
Chesebro's attorney, Scott Grubman, called the charges "unfounded" and said his client was never in Georgia on behalf of the campaign.
"Mr. Chesebro, an appellate and constitutional lawyer with experience in election law disputes, was asked by the Trump Campaign to provide advice on issues related to constitutional and election law," Grubman said in a statement to ABC News. "Each of the alleged 'overt acts' that are attributed to Mr. Chesebro relate to his work as an attorney."
6. Jeffrey Clark (2 counts)
Jeffrey Clark, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Sept. 14, 2020.Susan Walsh/AP, FILE
The indictment alleges that Jeffrey Clark, a U.S. Justice Department official in the Trump administration, made false statements to senior DOJ officials "urging the officials to let him convey the false information to Georgia State Officials."
Clark wanted to be able to say that the Department of Justice "identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the State of Georgia," according to the indictment.
Clark requested authorization, both in writing and in person, to send this incorrect information to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston, and President Pro Tempore of the Georgia Senate Butch Mille, according to the indictment.
Clark said the indictment's legal theories "either make no sense or are inherently unconstitutional."
"I think the indictment’s drafter is used to putting a million things into a blender, spreading the jumble across scores of pages, and seeing if defendants beg for mercy," Clark said on social media. "They have miscalculated. This case will eventually be dissected into a thousand pieces."
7. Jenna Ellis (2 counts)
Jenna Ellis, who was a legal adviser for Trump and his 2020 re-election campaign, was cited in the indictment for making "false statements concerning fraud" regarding the election in Georgia on Nov. 3, 2020. The indictment also names her among those allegedly involved in a scheme to solicit public officers to unlawfully appoint Georgia presidential electors.
Ellis responded to the indictment on social media, saying: "The Democrats and the Fulton County DA are criminalizing the practice of law. I am resolved to trust the Lord and I will simply continue to honor, praise, and serve Him. I deeply appreciate all of my friends who have reached out offering encouragement and support."
8. Ray Smith III (12 counts)
The indictment names Georgia lawyer Ray Smith III among those allegedly involved in a scheme to solicit public officers to unlawfully appoint Georgia presidential electors. It also alleges that Smith made false statements and writings to state senators regarding voter fraud.
ABC News has reached out to Smith for comment.
9. Robert Cheeley (10 counts)
Georgia lawyer Robert Cheeley allegedly made false statements to members of the Georgia Senate regarding voter fraud at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, according to the indictment. Cheeley is also alleged to have been part of an extensive pressure campaign allegedly targeting the then-speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, David Ralston.
ABC News has reached out to Cheely for comment.
18 Co-defendants Charged Alongside Donald Trump in GeorgiaABC News Photo Illustration
MORE: What's in the sweeping Trump racketeering indictment in Georgia
10. Michael Roman (7 counts)
Trump staff member Michael Roman is named among several of the co-defendants who allegedly worked together from Dec. 11, 2020, through Dec. 25, 2020, in several states including Georgia and Arizona to commit acts "in furtherance of the conspiracy."
Among the acts, Roman instructed an individual associated with the Trump campaign to "distribute information related to the December 14, 2020 meetings of Trump presidential elector nominees in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to other individuals associated with the campaign," the indictment alleges.
Attorney information for Roman wasn't immediately available.
MORE: Timeline: Criminal probe into Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia election results
11. David Shafer (8 counts)
David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, arrives before Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a “Save the Majority” rally, Dec. 10, 2020 in Augusta, Ga.John Bazemore/AP, FILE
Former state senator and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer was one of the alleged Trump fake electors and reserved the room where fake electors met at the Georgia State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, according to the indictment.
"Listen. Tell them to go straight to room 2016 to avoid drawing attention to what we are doing," he allegedly wrote in a text regarding the meeting, according to the indictment.
Attorneys for Shafer said in a statement to ABC News that he is "totally innocent of the charges" in Fulton County and that his conduct regarding the 2020 election was "lawful."
12. Shawn Still (7 counts)
According to the indictment, Shawn Still, a businessman who in January became a state senator in Georgia, was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump won the state and declared themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors.
"The evidence at trial will show that Sen. Still is innocent as the day is long," his attorney said in a statement to ABC News. "We look forward to our day in court to clear his good name."
13. Stephen Lee (5 counts)
Stephen Lee, a pastor from Illinois, traveled to the home of Freeman, the Fulton County election worker, on Dec. 14, 2020, "with intent to influence her testimony" regarding events at State Farm Arena, the indictment alleges.
ABC News has reached out to Lee's attorney for comment.
14. Trevian Kutti (3 counts)
Trevian Kutti, Dec. 02, 2021 in Miami.Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images, FILE
The indictment alleges that Trevian Kutti — a former publicist for rappers R. Kelly and Kanye West and a longtime friend of Trump — traveled from Chicago to Atlanta on Jan. 4, 2021, and attempted to contact Freeman in order to convince her to report election fraud claims in testimony.
According to the indictment, Kutti went to Freeman's house but wasn't able to speak to her. She then spoke to Freeman's neighbor, identifying herself as a crisis manager attempting to "help" Freeman, then placed a phone call to Freeman telling her that she was in danger and that she could "help" her, according to the indictment. She then spoke to Freeman for about one hour at a Cobb County police precinct, during which she told Freeman that "she needed protection and purported to offer her help," according to the indictment.
In a statement to Chicago's WBEZ about the charges, Kutti said she is "appalled at these accusations" and she was "simply being a crisis manager."
MORE: Who is Trevian Kutti, the former R. Kelly, Ye publicist included in Trump's indictment?
15. Harrison Floyd (3 counts)
Harrison Floyd, who is associated with the organization Black Voices for Trump, is accused in the indictment of recruiting Kutti to talk to Freeman. According to the indictment, Floyd also joined Kutti's meeting with Freeman by phone and purported to offer Freeman help.
ABC News has reached out to Floyd for comment.
16. Sidney Powell (7 counts)
Sidney Powell, attorney for President Donald Trump, conducts a news conference at the Republican National Committee on lawsuits regarding the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, Nov. 19, 2020.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Former Trump attorney Sidney Powell is accused of conspiring with other co-defendants to commit election fraud by allegedly encouraging and helping people tamper with ballot markers and machines inside an elections office in Coffee County.
The same group is charged with conspiracy to commit computer theft for allegedly trying to get onto a computer and take information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems Corporation.
ABC News has reached out to Powell for comment.
17. Cathleen Latham (11 counts)
Former Coffee County GOP chair Cathleen Latham is among those, like Powell, accused of conspiring to commit election fraud in Coffee County.
She was also among the 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump won the state and declared themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors, according to the indictment.
ABC News has reached out to Latham's attorney for comment.
18. Scott Hall (7 counts)
Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman, is among those accused of conspiring to commit election fraud in Coffee County.
Attorney information for Hall wasn't immediately available.
19. Misty Hampton (7 counts)
Misty Hampton, who was the elections director in Coffee County at the time, is among those accused of conspiring to commit election fraud in Coffee County.
Jonathan Miller, an attorney for Hampton, told CBS News in a statement that Hampton will be found innocent.
"This is a nationally concerted effort to intimidate and silence government whistleblowers and clerks when they react to witnessing election fraud, law violations, and/or vulnerabilities with the election system that contravenes the 'big lie' narrative adopted by mainstream media," Miller said in the statement.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
