Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election interference case

Drew Angerer Getty Images Archives Agence France-Presse Lawyer Sidney Powell, in 2020 < p>A second of former US President Donald Trump's 18 co-defendants in the case of his alleged illicit attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 election in Georgia, conservative lawyer Sidney Powell, pleaded guilty on Thursday as part of a deal with the prosecution.

Faced initially with seven counts, Sidney Powell, 68, pleaded guilty to six counts of conspiracy to interfere in the performance of election duties, during a hearing before Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee.

She was sentenced to six years in prison as well as a $6,000 fine and $2,700 in compensation which will go to the State of Georgia. She also pledged to write a letter of apology to Georgia voters and to testify at future trials of the other defendants.

The 19 defendants named in the indictment issued on August 14 in Atlanta, the state capital, under a law on organized crime, all initially pleaded not guilty.

< p>One of them, Scott Hall, was the first to plead guilty on September 29, admitting five offenses of conspiracy to interfere in the performance of electoral duties. He was sentenced to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine and 200 hours of community service.

Not all will be tried at the same time, Sidney Powell and another lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, having called for a speedy trial, which will begin October 23 with jury selection. Only Mr. Chesebro must still appear at this trial, the agreement having extinguished the proceedings against Sidney Powell.

Accused of conspiracy for having incriminated electronic systems linked to Venezuela and Cuba, this former federal prosecutor unsuccessfully filed suit against Georgia's governor for “massive election fraud.”

No date has yet been set for the trial of the 16 others, including Mr. Trump and his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.