- It came a day after Sidney Powell, another former Trump lawyer, struck a plea deal
- Chesebro pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to file false documents
- He avoided jail and was given probation and community service
Kenneth Chesebro, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in Georgia, where the former president and others are accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election.
He pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to file false documents.
Prosecutors recommended several years of probation, $5,000 in restitution, a letter of apology to the citizens of Georgia and 100 hours of community service.
It came as a judge in Trump’s separate civil fraud trial in New York threatened to jail the former president for contempt.
The judge said Trump had failed to remove from his website an “untrue and disparaging” photo of the clerk with Democrat New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who described her as “Schumer’s girlfriend.”
Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors
Chesebro was indicted just over two months ago along with Trump and 17 others and accused of violating the state’s anti-racketeering law in a conspiracy to overturn the election results in Georgia.
Two of the other defendants – including attorney Sidney Powell, who was due to stand trial with Chesebro – have already pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
No trial date has yet been set for the rest, who have pleaded not guilty.
Thursday, Powell sSuddenly pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election.
She admitted six offenses in a deal with prosecutors that saw her sentence reduced.
Powell avoided jail and was given six years’ probation Thursday in a surprise appearance in Fulton County court in Georgia.
Chesebro was initially charged with racketeering and six other charges as part of a vast scheme to keep Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in a deal with prosecutors
Judge Scott MacAfee sentenced Chesebro
The indictment alleged that Chesebro coordinated and executed a scheme to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate falsely declaring that Trump had won the state and identifying themselves as among the “duly elected and qualified” electors of declared the state.
For prosecutors, the plea deal means Chesebro publicly accepts responsibility for his conduct in the case.
A mugshot of Sidney Powell closing a deal the day before
Donald Trump is also charged in the case and has denied all charges
It also forces him to testify about communications he had with Trump campaign lawyers and close associates, including co-defendant Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and a lawyer for Trump.
Jury selection was set to begin Friday for a trial against Powell and Chesebro.
After Powell pleaded guilty, Chesebro was scheduled to appear in court alone.
But he then reached a last-minute deal with prosecutors.
