Fulton County prosecutors' huddle with lawyers for Jenna Ellis, a former Donald Trump attorney and co-defendant in his Georgia election subversion case, announcing that they could resolve her case with a guilty plea "was about a three-second conversation," Frank Hogue, one of Ellis' attorneys, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Long enough to say, ‘No, we’re not doing RICO.’”
Hogue and his wife and co-counsel, Laura, met with prosecutors on Oct. 23 and struck a palatable deal with them by mid-afternoon, a move Hogue said was prompted by the surprise guilty pleas of two other lawyers indicted in the case — Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro — just before their speedy trial was set to begin. “I think what really accelerated it was Powell and Chesebro falling as they did, one right after the other,” Hogue said, declining to say who reached out first. “It looked like timing was of the essence for us.” He added that a priority during deal negotiations was to ensure that Ellis could retain her law license.
Ellis pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. She was sentenced to five years probation and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, making her a potential key witness against the former president and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whom she worked closely with following the 2020 election. When asked if Giuliani, who is charged with racketeering and 12 other counts, should be worried, Hogue replied, "I think he should be.” He added: “I think there’s enough for Mayor Giuliani to worry about that wouldn’t have anything to do with Jenna Ellis. I mean, she wouldn’t be a help to him, I don’t think, if she was to be called as a witness. But I think his troubles extend far beyond her.”
