Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is anticipated to pursue indictments against a minimum of 12 individuals next week, as she presents her case to a grand jury.
A recent report suggests that Willis will allege that former President Donald Trump and his allies engaged in "coordinated attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 elections" in Georgia.
The investigation into Trump's alleged efforts to pressure Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the election results, as well as a plan to utilize an alternative slate of electors, has been ongoing since 2021. Willis has made it known that she intends to announce charges no later than September 1.
Sources have informed CNN that the Democratic District Attorney is seeking to charge the group with conspiracy and racketeering offenses, in order to bring a case against multiple defendants. The outlet reports that Willis has previously utilized Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act statutes in unconventional ways, bringing charges against teachers and musicians in the Atlanta area.
The state law is modeled after the federal RICO Act, which was enacted in the 1970s to combat organized crime. If prosecutors can demonstrate that there is an organized group of individuals committing crimes on a recurring basis, then members of the group can be prosecuted for the crimes committed by the organization.
The list of charges being considered by prosecutors includes criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit election fraud, solicitation of a public or political officer to fail in their duties, and solicitation to destroy, deface, or remove ballots.
According to reports, Trump and many of his advisors believe that they will be charged in Georgia next week. Fulton County District Attorney Willis has already issued subpoenas to former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former Georgia Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, and independent journalist George Chidi as witnesses in the case. This trio, along with over 75 other witnesses, previously testified before a special purpose grand jury that investigated Trump.
These expected indictments come at a time when Trump is already facing three other indictments, including two from Special Counsel Jack Smith, one of which pertains to alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
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