Trump accused in Georgia: A look at4 criminal cases against him

Former US president Donald Trump and18 of his allies have been charged in Georgia

Former US President Donald Trump and18 of his allies have been charged in Georgia with committing a crime to overturn his defeat in the2020 election. The accusation, announced on Monday, is the fourth criminal case brought against Trump and the second this month alleging that he tried to undermine the results of the2020 US presidential election. Among other defendants were Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff for Trump, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman. The charges filed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis are related to an investigation launched shortly after the release of a phone call recording between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January2,2021, in which the former president asked Raffensperger to "find11,780 votes." That amount of votes would have been enough to surpass his presidential opponent Joe Biden. Trump, a Republican, described his phone call with Raffensperger as "perfect" and portrayed the prosecution by the Democratic district attorney as politically motivated.

The case of the classified documents

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is leading two federal investigations against Trump, both of which have resulted in indictments against the former president. The first indictments resulting from those investigations came in June, when charges were filed against Trump for mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate. The indictment alleged that Trump repeatedly enlisted aides and lawyers to withhold documents demanded by investigators and carelessly displayed a Pentagon attack plan and a secret map to the public. The indictment, which was issued in July, also charges Trump with asking for the removal of surveillance video at his Mar-a-Lago estate after FBI and Justice Department officials came to collect classified documents he took with him after leaving the White House in June 2022. The new indictment also charges him with unlawfully withholding a document he allegedly showed to visitors. In total, Trump faces 40 felonies in this classified document case. The most serious charge faces him up to 20 years in prison. Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, and the property manager on his Florida estate, Carlos De Oliveira, were also indicted in the secret documents case on charges of conspiring to hide the videos from federal investigators and lying about their actions. Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty. County Judge Audience

Election interference

Smith's second case against Trump was announced in August, when federal felony charges were filed against him for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election before a violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The four-count indictment charges conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official process: certifying Biden's victory in Congress. The indictment describes how Trump repeatedly told supporters and others that he had won the election despite knowing it was a lie, and how he tried to convince state officials, Vice President Mike Pence and finally Congress to replay the legitimate results.

The "hush money" scheme

Trump became the first former U.S. president in history to be charged with criminal offenses when he was indicted in New York in March on state charges related to paying hush money during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence allegations of extramarital sexual affairs. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. Each count carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, though it is unclear whether the judge will impose jail time if Trump is found guilty. The charges stem from a series of checks written to his attorney Michael Cohen as reimbursement for his involvement in a payment to actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006, shortly after the birth of son Barron. The payments were recorded in various internal company documents as payments for attorney fees that prosecutors say did not exist. The former president is scheduled to appear in state court on Dec. 4, two months before Republicans begin their election process.

Civil cases in New York

Attorney General Letitia James is suing Trump and Trump Organization, claiming they misled banks and tax authorities about the value of assets, including golf courses and skyscrapers, to get loans and tax breaks. If James, a Democrat, wins the case, it could lead to civil penalties against the company. She is seeking a $250 million fine and a ban on Trump's business in New York. Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating the same subject but have not filed criminal charges. The civil trial is set for October in state court. In a separate civil case in federal court in New York, Trump was found liable in May for sexually assaulting and defaming former E Magazine columnist Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s. The jury rejected Carroll's claim that Trump raped her in a fitting room. Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million dollars. He appealed and emphatically denied her allegations. In July, a federal judge upheld the jury's verdict against Trump, rejecting the former president's claims that the compensation amount was inflated.