From smiling Jenna Ellis to scowling Donald Trump: All of the mug shots from the Georgia arrests

They’ve long been pictured by his side at the White House and political rallies. Now, Donald Trump’s closest allies join him in humiliating mug shots. Rachel Sharp reports

Friday 25 August 2023 21:45 BST
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(Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Reuters)

He and his cronies have long been pictured at the White House and political rallies.

But now, Donald Trump and some of his closest allies and fellow election deniers are the faces of humiliating mug shots.

On the morning of Friday 25 August, the last of the 19 defendants charged as part of a criminal enterprise working to overturn the 2020 election in the state of Georgia surrendered to authorities in Fulton County.

The last to surrender was Christian pastor Stephen Lee who, based on Fulton County online records, was booked into jail at around 11am ET – just one hour before the noon ET deadline.

As the defendants turned themselves in, they had their fingerprints and mug shots taken before being released on bond.

For Mr Trump, he marked yet another historic moment as he became the first current or former US president to ever undergo a police mug shot.

All 19 of the defendants were charged with violating Georgia’s RICO statute.

The indictment accuses Mr Trump and his allies of orchestrating and running a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to “accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021”.

The criminal organisation’s members and associates “engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury”.

DA Willis has spent more than two years investigating efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in the crucial swing state before the probe culminated in the sweeping 41-count indictment.

Here are the mug shots of Mr Trump and his codefendants:

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump mug shot (via REUTERS)

Giving his best blue steel to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Mr Trump posed for his historic mug shot after surrendering to authorities on Thursday evening (24 August).

Despite having faced three other criminal indictments this year, two of which are federal, the ex-president was not asked to take a mug shot photo until his arrest in the Georgia election interference case.

Speaking with reporters after his brief appearance in Georgia, Mr Trump said: “This should never happen. If you challenge an election, you should be able to challenge an election.”

Along with his 18 other co-defendants, Mr Trump was charged with violating the RICO Act and charged with 12 other crimes.

The ex-president maintained his innocence to reporters on Thursday saying: “When you have that great freedom to challenge, you have to be able to, otherwise, you’re going to have very dishonest elections,” he said. “What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows it. I’ve never had such support.”

Following his release, Mr Trump instantly began trying to cash in on the mug shot by urging supporters to fork out for a t shirt featuring his booking photo and the slogan “never surrender” in a campaign fundraising email.

Mr Trump also shared his scowling mug shot – and a link to his campaign website – in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in what marked his first return to the social platform since he was banned in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot.

Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani mug shot (Reuters)

Rudy Giuliani glared at the camera as he had his mug shot taken following his arrest on Wednesday afternoon.

The former New York City mayor and former attorney to Mr Trump surrendered at the Fulton County Jail, where his bond was set at $150,000 – the highest of all defendants other than the former president.

Following his release on bond, he gave a defiant response to reporters outside the jail when asked if he regretted his relationship with Mr Trump.

“I am very very honoured to be involved in this case because this case is a fight for our way of life,” he claimed, before echoing Mr Trump’s campaign spiel that “if they can do this to me, they can do this to you”.

The man once known as “America’s Mayor” for his response to 9/11 has had a spectacular fall from grace, after becoming one of the most prominent players in Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

He was hit with 13 charges in the sweeping indictment – the highest of all defendants other than Mr Trump – including charges of making false statements and soliciting false testimony, conspiring to create fake paperwork and asking state lawmakers to violate their oath of office to appoint an alternate slate of pro-Trump electors.

Sidney Powell

Sidney Powell mug shot (via REUTERS)

“Kraken” lawyer Sidney Powell surrendered to authorities on Wednesday where her bond was set at $100,000.

The former federal prosecutor joined Mr Trump’s legal team to challenge the 2020 election results, mounting what she claimed to be a “Kraken” case – a case that would blow up the case that Mr Biden won.

However, her case did no such thing and was actually filled with conspiracy theories.

Ms Powell is charged in connection to plots to execute a data breach in Coffee County.

Jenna Ellis

Jenna Ellis mug shot (Reuters)

Jenna Ellis smiled broadly as she had her booking photo taken in Fulton County Jail on Wednesday.

The former attorney to Mr Trump is facing two charges: violating the state’s RICO Act and soliciting the violation of oath by a public officer over her involvement at a Georgia senate hearing where fasle claims of election fraud were pushed. Her bond was set at $100,000.

After being released on bond, she posted the mug shot online together with Bible verses.

“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you…” Matt 5:44,” she wrote.

“But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.” Psalm 32:10-11”

Despite making her bond amount, she has had to resort to crowdfunding to help pay her legal fees.

Scott Hall

Scott Hall mug shot (Reuters)

Scott Hall, a former bail bondsman in Atlanta, was the first co-defendant to surrender on Tuesday.

Mr Hall is charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to defraud the state or political subdivision and violation of the Georgia RICO statute.

His bond was set at $10,000.

He is accused of illegally trying to access voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia – part of a wider but little-known plot to breach the voting systems in the county and unlawfully access private voter data as part of an attempt to try that the systems were rigged in Mr Biden’s favour.

David Shafer

David Shafer mug shot (Reuters)

David Shafer beamed in his mug shot and posted it on social media, boldly describing it as his “new profile picture” after surrendering to Fulton County Jail in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party and a longtime member of the Georgia state Senate shared his booking photo on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Good morning! #NewProfilePicture,” he captioned the mug shot.

Mr Shafer is charged with eight counts over his part in the scheme where he allegedly played a pivotal role in the fake electors plot in the state.

According to the indictment, Mr Shafer convened 16 fake electors in the Georgia state capitol on 14 December 2020 to sign a certificate falsely declaring Mr Trump as the winner of the state.

In a court filing on Tuesday, he showed signs of turning on Mr Trump in the case, claiming that he was only following the former president’s orders when he took part in the election interference plot.

Mr Shafer said that he merely “acted at the direction of the incumbent President and other federal officials” as he asked a judge to move the criminal case to federal court.

John Eastman

John Eastman mug shot (Reuters)

John Eastman – a former attorney for Mr Trump, former dean of Chapman University’s law school and former law clerk of conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas – was the second codefendant to surrender for arrest on Tuesday.

In a statement through his attorneys, he said that he was surrendering “to an indictment that should never have been brought” and claimed the indictment targeted “attorneys for their zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients”.

Mr Eastman allegedly played a key role in the fake elector plot.

At a Georgia Senate hearing on 3 December 2020 – also attended by Mr Giuliani – Mr Eastman falsely told state lawmakers that they had both the power and “duty” to replace the rightful slate of Democratic electors with a group of fake electors who would fraudulently cast votes for Mr Trump. Beyond Georgia alone, Mr Eastman compiled a memo falsely outlining how then-vice president Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 presidential election on 6 January 2021.

Cathy Latham

Cathy Latham mug shot (Reuters)

Cathy Latham surrendered for arrest in the early hours of Wednesday morning – more than two days before the deadline.

She was released after making here bond which was set at $75,000.

The former head of the Republican Party in Coffee County was one of 16 fake electors who fraudulently signed a certificate stating that Mr Trump had won the election in the state. She is charged over the voting systems breach in Coffee County.

Kenneth Chesebro

Ken Chesebro mug shot (Reuters)

Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney and Mr Trump ally, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday.

He is charged with seven counts and his bond set at $100,000.

Mr Chesebro was allegedly the main architect of the fake electors plot – a scheme to plant fake electors in seven states which Mr Biden won and have them fraudulently cast electoral college votes in Mr Trump’s favour instead.

Ray Smith

Ray Smith mug shot (Reuters)

Ray Smith scowled as his mug shot was captured on Wednesday, following his arrest on 10 charges in the sweeping indictment.

Mr Smith is an Atlanta-based attorney who was hired by Mr Trump to fight the 2020 election results.

He allegedly advised the fake electors and appeared before a Georgia senate hearing falsely claiming that thousands of fraudulent votes had been cast.

Mark Meadows

Mark Meadows mug shot (Fulton County Jail)

Mr Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was arrested and booked into Fulton County Jail on Thursday.

His arrest came after Mr Meadows had filed an emergency motion asking a judge to stop Fulton County authorities from arresting him while he fought to have this case moved from state to federal court – where he wants it to be dismissed.

US District Judge Steve Jones denied the motion meaning that Mr Meadows had to surrender by noon on Friday like all other defendants.

Mr Meadows faces two felony counts with prosecutors alleging that he orchestrated the infamous phone call where Mr Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” almost 12,000 votes to flip the state in his favour.

Harrison Floyd

Harrison Floyd mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Harrison Floyd, who was the director of “Black Voices for Trump” during his 2020 campaign, surrendered to authorities on Thursday.

But unlike Mr Trump and the other codefendants he remains behind bars inside the notorious Fulton County Jail as he is being held without bond.

Mr Floyd did not have a pre-arranged bond and so was forced to spend the night behind bars in the jail – and will remain there indefinitely.

However, this comes just three months after he was charged with assaulting an FBI agent in Maryland.

Court records show that Mr Floyd was arrested on federal charges back in May accused of aggressively confronting two FBI agents who were sent to serve him with a grand jury subpoena. According to the documents, he screamed, cursed and jabbed a finger in one of the agent’s faces and chest-bumped them in a stairwell.

Now, Mr Floyd is also charged with three counts of violating the RICO Act, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings and influencing witnesses in the Georgia election interference case over his role in harassing Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman.

Jeffrey Clark

Jeffrey Clark mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Jeffrey Clark, a former top Justice Department official under Mr Trump, gave a somewhat baffled expression to the camera as he surrendered to arrest and had his mug shot taken in the early hours of Friday morning.

Mr Clark was hit with two charges for allegedly helping to push Mr Trump’s false claims of election fraud while working as assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil division from September 2020 to January 2021.

Like Mr Meadows, Mr Clark also fought to have his case moved to federal court – and in turn for Fulton County officials to be banned from arresting him as the legal fight played out.

After the judge refused, he surrendered in the early hours of Friday morning before being released on $100,000 bond.

Misty Hampton

Misty Hampton mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Misty Hampton was booked into Fulton County Jail on Friday morning to face charges over her alleged involvement in the plot to breach the voting systems in Coffee County, Georgia.

She is facing seven counts and was released on signature for a $10,000 bond.

Robert Cheeley

Robert Cheeley mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Attorney Robert Cheeley also surrendered on Friday and was released on bond.

Facing 10 charges including perjury, he is accused of giving Georgia state legislators video footage which he falsely claimed showed election workers double and triple counting votes.

Michael Roman

Michael Roman mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Michael Roman also surrendered in the early hours of Friday morning where he was booked on seven charges in the 41-count indictment.

The Philadelphia-based Republican campaign operative served as director of Election Day operations for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and played a key role in the fake electors plot.

Shawn Still

Shawn Still mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Shawn Still was booked into Fulton County Jail on seven charges in the early hours of Friday morning before being released on $10,000 bond.

Mr Still is a Georgia state senator who allegedly served as a fake elector as part of the fake electors plot.

Trevian Kutti

Trevian Kutti mug shot (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Trevian Kutti surrendered on Friday morning for her role in allegedly harassing election worker Ruby Freeman and get her to falsely admit to participating in election fraud.

Dressed in a camo jacket, she looked up at the camera and grinned cheesily for her mug shot.

She was released on bond soon after.

Before being indicted as part of the sweeping alleged criminal enterprise, Ms Kutti was better known for working as a publicist for Kanye West.

Stephen Lee

Stephen Lee mug shot (Fulton County Jail)

Christian pastor Stephen Lee was the last of the 19 to surrender to authorities in Fulton County – cutting it fine with just around an hour to go until the deadline.

The reverend, from Living Word Lutheran Church in Orland Park, Illinois, is charged with three counts for his alleged role in the harassment campaign of election worker Ruby Freeman – including turning up at her home.

Before his arrest, his attorney hit out at the $75,000 bond set for him saying that he would not have the money to pay surety.

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