One of the 18 people on trial connected to "fake elector" schemes has agreed to testify in their case.
On Monday, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced a cooperation agreement with one of the defendants, Jenna Ellis, who signed the agreement earlier that morning.
The state has agreed to drop the charge against Ellis in exchange for her cooperation with the prosecution, according to the AG's Office.
"This agreement represents a significant step forward in our case," said Attorney General Mayes. "I am grateful to Ms. Ellis for her cooperation with our investigation and prosecution. Her insights are invaluable and will greatly aid the State in proving its case in court. As I stated when the initial charges were announced, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined – it is far too important. Today’s announcement is a win for the rule of law."
Ellis was previously charged with nine felonies including fraud, forgery and conspiracy.
The 17 other defendants are facing charges in their roles in allegedly attempting to overturn former President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Among the defendants are 11 Arizona Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Trump won in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election — including a former state GOP chair, a 2022 U.S. Senate candidate, and two sitting state lawmakers. The other defendants are Mike Roman, who was Trump’s director of Election Day operations, and four attorneys accused of organizing an attempt to use fake documents to persuade Congress not to certify Biden’s victory: John Eastman, Christina Bobb, Boris Epshteyn and Jenna Ellis.
Trump's personal lawyer, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, is also charged for his part in the alleged scheme.
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Trump himself was not charged but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator.
The 11 people who had been nominated to be Arizona’s Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were “duly elected and qualified” electors and claiming that Trump carried the state. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.
