Georgia RICO Indictment: 41-Count Racketeering Case for Conspiracy to Overturn 2020 Election Results
Tier 2Dismissed2020-11-03 to 2025-11-26
Factual Summary
On August 14, 2023, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants on 41 counts arising from an alleged conspiracy to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results. The indictment alleged a coordinated effort involving pressuring state officials to reverse certified results, creating false slates of pro-Trump electors, attempting to interfere with voting system equipment in Coffee County, and recruiting attorneys and political operatives to advance legally unsupported claims of election fraud.
A central piece of evidence was a recorded January 2, 2021 phone call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes," the exact number needed to flip the state's outcome. Trump personally faced 13 counts, including violation of Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, soliciting a public official to violate his oath of office, conspiracy to commit forgery, and filing false documents related to fake elector certificates.
The 18 co-defendants included Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, and Jeffrey Clark, among others. Four defendants accepted plea deals in fall 2023: Scott Hall, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, and Jenna Ellis.
Trump surrendered on August 22, 2023 and was booked at the Fulton County jail, producing the first booking photograph of a former U.S. president. Judge Scott McAfee dismissed 6 of Trump's 13 counts during the proceedings.
In December 2024, the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified District Attorney Fani Willis from the case after her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade was revealed. Replacement prosecutor Pete Skandalakis moved to dismiss the case, stating that "the criminal conduct alleged in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit's prosecution was conceived in Washington, D.C., not the State of Georgia." On November 26, 2025, Judge McAfee ordered the case dismissed in its entirety against all remaining defendants.
Primary Sources
1. Full indictment, Fulton County Clerk: https://www.fultonclerk.org/DocumentCenter/View/2108/CRIMINAL-INDICTMENT
2. Congress.gov CRS Report LSB11024: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB11024
3. Stanford Law School RICO analysis, August 15, 2023: https://law.stanford.edu/2023/08/15/new-indictment-of-trump-in-georgia-stanfords-david-sklansky-explains-das-charges-and-use-of-rico-act/
Corroborating Sources
1. NPR: "Trump Georgia indictment: Who are the 19 defendants charged?" August 15, 2023
2. Georgia Recorder: "Fulton County election interference case against Trump dismissed," November 26, 2025
3. PBS NewsHour: "Final criminal case against Trump dismissed after Georgia prosecutor drops charges," November 26, 2025
Counterarguments and Context
Trump consistently denied all wrongdoing. His defense arguments included that the Raffensperger call was protected political speech, that attorneys advised him his election challenges were legally valid, that the prosecution was politically motivated by a Democratic district attorney, and that his conduct as sitting president fell within the scope of lawful presidential action. The dismissal was procedural, based on the replacement prosecutor's venue rationale, and was not an acquittal or a finding on the merits. The indictment, booking record, Raffensperger audio recording, and plea deal records all remain part of the public record.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 2 rather than Tier 1 because the case was dismissed before trial and no adjudicated outcome was reached. The grand jury indictment, four co-defendant plea deals, and the recorded Raffensperger call constitute formal charges and primary evidence. This was the last active criminal case against Trump at the time of its dismissal.