Georgia [US], August 15 : Former President of the United States Donald Trump was indicted by the Georgia grand jury in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State, New York Post reported on Tuesday.
The charges, brought late on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charge Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination and 18 associates for a scheme intended to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
It reported, the charge against the former president includes violation of the Peach State’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy, false statements, and asking a public official to violate their oath of office.
According to the New York Post, all 19 defendants are charged with Georgia’s equivalent of the federal RICO statute, which can be used against any group of individuals deemed to use criminal means to attain an objective. The acronym refers to the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
“[The] Defendants … [30] unindicted co-conspirators … and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in … false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury,” the 98-page indictment read.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who launched the investigation into Trump and his associates nearly two years ago, told reporters at a late-night press conference that she intended to try all 19 defendants together and that they would be given less than two weeks to turn themselves in.
“I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023,” Willis said.
Hoping to move quickly, Willis added that her office will be seeking to take the case to trial “within the next six months.” If approved by a judge, that would make Georgia the first jurisdiction and Willis the first prosecutor to put a former American president on trial.
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