Scott Hall, former Republican campaign manager and Trump ally, is the first to plead guilty to the charges, reports NBC News.
Hall pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit data theft, conspiracy to commit data breach and conspiracy to defraud the government. Under an agreement with the Fulton County District Attorney, he will receive five years of probation in exchange for his plea.
Scott Hall also agrees to testify “truthfully” in all future legal proceedings in the case.
Donald Trump has maintained his innocence in the indictment, one of four major cases in which Trump is suspected of crimes. He and his 18 co-accused allies are suspected, among other things, of spreading false rumors about electoral fraud in connection with the election and urging officials and politicians to annul Joe Biden’s victory.
Although Scott Hall is not considered one of the people at the center of the indictment, the plea represents an important victory for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Several of the defendants, including Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, have requested the trial be moved to federal court in hopes of getting a more conservative jury than the one in Fulton County. They have been denied their request by a judge, AP reports.