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First defendant in Fulton County election interference case accepts plea agreement

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First defendant in Fulton County election interference case accepts plea agreement

Sep 29, 2023 | 5:03 pm ET
By Ross Williams
First defendant in Fulton County election interference case accepts plea agreement
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Scott Hall, left, and his attorney Jeffrey Weiner. Hall pleaded guilty to election interference in connection with former President Donald Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Screenshot from Judge Scott McAfee's courtroom.

Scott Hall, one of 19 defendants in the Fulton County election interference case against former president Donald Trump and his allies, pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to five misdemeanor charges.

Hall, a bail bondsman accused of entering the Coffee County elections office and illegally accessing voting equipment, is the first of the defendants to forge an agreement with the prosecution and enter a guilty plea, representing a win for District Attorney Fani Willis’ team.

Hall admitted to five counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of an election. Each count will carry a $1,000 fine and a year of probation, but under the terms of the agreement, Hall can revert to unsupervised or non-reporting probation after two and a half years of complying with the terms of his probation.

In addition, Hall may be required to surrender any weapons licenses, and he will need to write a letter of apology to the DA’s office and complete 2,000 hours of community service.

He is barred from communicating with any victims, defendants, witnesses or members of the media during his probation and participating in any election-related activities, but the terms do not include restrictions on travel.

“And then there’ll also be the condition on here that you’re to testify truthfully in this case in all further proceedings,” said Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the case.

According to the indictment, Hall flew into Coffee County on Jan. 7, 2021, where he and co-defendants Sidney Powell, an attorney; Cathy Latham, the former chair of the Coffee County GOP and a fake elector; and former Coffee County elections director Misty Hampton, are accused of tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulating machines, moving ballots outside of the polling place without authorization and removing voter data from a computer without authorization.

Hall could be called to testify against those alleged co-conspirators. Powell’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 23 alongside fellow attorney Kenneth Chesebro.