Attorney Kenneth Chesebro entered a plea agreement with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Friday. Chesebro is the third defendant to accept a plea deal, following attorney Sidney Powell and bail bondsman Scott Hall.
Chesebro (pictured above) pleaded to just one felony count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reported that Willis dropped the other six felony counts against him in exchange for a guilty plea and the promise to truthfully testify in upcoming trials.
In addition to providing truthful testimony, Willis’ plea agreement requires Chesebro to serve five years of probation, which will be reduced to three with good behavior, pay $5,000 in restitution to the state, and serve 100 hours of community service. Like Powell and Hall, the lawyer also wrote a letter apologizing to the people of Georgia.
The pro-Trump lawyer was originally accused of being the architect of a plot to pass off Electoral College electors affiliated with the Trump campaign as actual government officials. He was indicted with former President Donald Trump and the other 17 defendants but had his case severed from the greater indictment after he and Powell invoked their right to a speedy trial.
Chesebro was already in court, as jury selection for his trial began on Friday morning. His acceptance of the plea agreement was live-streamed by Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee via Zoom, and excerpts have been posted to social media.
Trump attorney Ken Chesebro pleads guilty, agrees to testify against co-defendants. He gave a proffer to prosecutors this morning and will turn over all emails and text messages. pic.twitter.com/9OvtvFnmYw
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 20, 2023
Like the other defendants who have accepted plea agreements, Chesebro must have no communications with other defendants, witnesses, or media members until the trial concludes.
Powell accepted a plea deal under similar circumstances yesterday, but unlike Chesebro, she pleaded to six misdemeanor counts related to her involvement in a plan to obtain information from Coffee County election equipment and analyze it for evidence of fraud. She will serve six years of probation, pay $7,700 in fines and restitution, and testify in upcoming cases.
Hall was the first defendant to accept a plea agreement when, in September, he pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts and was sentenced to five years of probation, a $5,000 fine, and 200 hours of community service.
With Chesebro and Powell accepting plea agreements, it remains unclear when the next trial in Willis’s racketeering case against the former president will begin. Many defendants have waived their right to a speedy trial, and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ordered oral arguments for former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ effort to remove the case from Fulton County. That court date is not until November.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
