Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer who assisted former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, has taken a plea deal in a Georgia state case accusing Mr. Trump and his associates of scheming illegally to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s win in the state.
Mr. Chesebro, a 62-year-old Harvard Law graduate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to submit false documents, a felony, on the cusp of his trial. He faces five years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service.
He must submit an apology letter to the state of Georgia and is expected to cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors who allege Mr. Trump and his allies violated state racketeering laws with a conspiracy to pressure state officials and uncover evidence to prove the Georgia result was fraudulent
Mr. Chesebro was accused of playing a key role in a bid to recruit alternate electors to support Mr. Trump in the Electoral College vote by the states that would ratify Mr. Biden won in 2020.
Prosecutors described in court how he was involved in a scheme to get specific persons to “falsely hold themselves out” as legitimate electors for Mr. Trump and present false documents to the Georgia secretary of state and federal archivists, among others, in a bid to disrupt the certification of Mr. Biden’s win.
“This was part of a multi-state criminal conspiracy to unlawfully overturn the results of the Nov. 3, 2020, presidential election in favor of the co-conspirator, Donald John Trump, who did not win that election,” a prosecutor from the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in court.
SEE ALSO: Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia case, ordered to testify against Trump
He is the second former lawyer for Mr. Trump to plead guilty instead of heading to trial on charges contained in a sprawling indictment filed against the ex-president and 18 of his allies.
Sidney Powell, a lawyer who pushed unproven claims of election fraud, pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts on Thursday on the cusp of her trial.
Mr. Chesebro, like Ms. Powell, is being prosecuted under the Georgia First Offender Act, which allows them to keep the convictions off their permanent records if they comply with the terms of their sentences.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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