Current:Home > ScamsKenneth Chesebro rejected plea offer ahead of Georgia election trial: Sources -Elevate Capital Network
Kenneth Chesebro rejected plea offer ahead of Georgia election trial: Sources
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 01:55:19
One of former President Donald Trump's co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case rejected a plea deal from prosecutors ahead of his trial this month, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Attorney Kenneth Chesebro, one of the 18 defendants charged alongside Trump in Fulton County case racketeering case, rejected an offer from prosecutors, the sources said.
The deal would have allowed Chesebro to avoid prison time by pleading guilty to one felony count of racketeering, the top charge in the indictment, according to the sources.
MORE: Jury selection to begin Friday in first Georgia election interference trial
He would have had to agree to testify against his codefendants -- including Trump -- in exchange for three years' probation and a $10,000 fine.
The terms of the deal also included a written letter of apology, the sources said. The deal would have been made under Georgia's first-offender act, under which the conviction would have been wiped from Chesebro's record after probation was completed.
Chesebro rejected the deal in late September, the sources said. He is facing seven counts after allegedly drafting a strategy to use so-called "alternate electors" to prevent Joe Biden from receiving 270 electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election, according to the indictment.
An attorney for Chesebro declined to comment to ABC News. A spokesperson for the Fulton County district attorney's office also declined to comment.
Chesebro's trial, alongside co-defendant Sidney Powell, is set to begin this week after the pair opted for a speedy trial. Jury selection gets underway on Friday.
Earlier in September, a Fulton County prosecutor indicated in court that they intended to extend deals to Chesebro and Powell ahead of trial.
"We'll sit down and kind of put some things together and we'll reach out to defense counsel individually to extend an offer," said prosecutor Nathan Wade when pressed by the judge.
Later that day, one of the 19 charged in the indictment became the first to accept a deal in the case. Scott Hall pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performance of election duties in exchange for immunity and a fine, and agreed to testify against Trump and others.
In early October, ABC News reported that a number of the defendants in the Fulton County case had received plea deal offers or had been approached about potentially making a deal by the district attorney's office, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in August to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
The former president has blasted the district attorney's investigation as being politically motivated.
veryGood! (85771)
Related
- Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
- Contract security officers leave jail in Atlanta after nonpayment of contract
- Olivia Rodrigo and Boyfriend Louis Partridge Enjoy Rare Date Outing at 2024 Venice Film Festival
- Donald Trump moves to halt hush money proceedings, sentencing after asking federal court to step in
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Look: Olympic medalist Simone Biles throws out first pitch at Houston Astros MLB game
- 7 US troops hurt in raid with Iraqi forces targeting Islamic State group militants that killed 15
- Trump courts conservative male influencers to try to reach younger men
- Organizers cancel Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over fears of an attack
- Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge shows price pressures easing as rate cuts near
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- A fifth of Red Lobsters are gone. Here's every US location that's still open
- Patrick Mahomes: Taylor Swift is so interested in football that she's 'drawing up plays'
- Michigan's Sherrone Moore among college football coaches without a signed contract
- USA women's basketball live updates at Olympics: Start time vs Nigeria, how to watch
- Trump courts conservative male influencers to try to reach younger men
- NYC Environmental Justice Activists Feel Ignored by the City and the Army Corps on Climate Projects
- Dancing With the Stars Alum Cheryl Burke Addresses Artem Chigvintsev’s Arrest
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Carlos Alcaraz’s surprising US Open loss to Botic van de Zandschulp raises questions
Watch Travis Kelce annoy Christian McCaffrey in new Lowe's ad ahead of NFL season
Contract security officers leave jail in Atlanta after nonpayment of contract
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
2 women charged in Lululemon shoplifting scheme in Minneapolis
USA TODAY Sports' 2024 NFL predictions: Who makes playoffs, wins Super Bowl 59, MVP and more?
A tumultuous life, a turn toward faith and one man who wonders if it’s time to vote