Defendants indicted alongside former President Donald Trump last week have begun to surrender at the Fulton County Jail, while others are starting to get bond after meeting with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
Bondsman Scott Hall and Trump campaign attorney John Eastman were among the five defendants granted bond on Monday ahead of their surrenders. Hall’s bond was set at $10,000, while Eastman’s was set at $100,000. Attorneys Ray Smith and Kenneth Chesebro had not surrendered as of Tuesday morning.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Hall is charged with violation of the State’s RICO Act, conspiracy to defraud the state, conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to commit computer trespass, conspiracy to commit computer theft and two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud.
Hall was seen on security footage at the Coffee County Board of Elections on Jan 7, 2021, where a team of pro-Trump operatives and a forensic data team copied sensitive elections hardware and software.
Eastman is charged with violation of the State’s RICO Act, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, filing false documents, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree and two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings.
Eastman testified remotely before Georgia lawmakers alongside co-defendant Rudy Giuliani in late 2020, contending there was evidence of widespread fraud in Georgia’s 2020 election. He was also involved in pressuring Vice President Mike Pence into rejecting the official Democratic electors in Georgia and other swing states in favor of the “alternate” Trump electors.
In a statement, Eastman said he was surrendering to the Fulton County jail on “an indictment that should never have been brought.”
“My legal team and I will vigorously contest every count of the indictment in which I am named, and also every count in which others are named, for which my knowledge of the relevant facts, law, and constitutional provisions may prove helpful. I am confident that, when the law is faithfully applied in this proceeding, all of my co-defendants and I will be fully vindicated,” the statement said.
Hall was the first defendant to surrender to the Fulton County Jail, followed by Eastman ahead of the noon Friday deadline District Attorney Fani Willis announced. Trump plans to surrender on Thursday, he said on his social media site, after his attorneys and the Fulton County DA’s office agreed on a $200,000 bond.
About the Author
