Georgia
Appeals court agrees to review ruling allowing Fani Willis to stay on Trump election case
ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday agreed to review a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against former President Donald Trump.
Trump and some other defendants in the case had tried to get Willis and her office removed from the case, saying her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created a conflict of interest. Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee in March found that no conflict of interest existed that should force Willis off the case, but he granted a request from Trump and the other defendants to seek an appeal of his ruling from the Georgia Court of Appeals.
That intermediate appeals court agreed on Wednesday to take up the case. Once it rules, the losing side could ask the Georgia Supreme Court to consider an appeal.
Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, said in an email that the former president looks forward to presenting arguments to the appeals court as to why the case should be dismissed and why Willis “should be disqualified for her misconduct in this unjustified, unwarranted political persecution.”
The appeals court’s decision to consider the case seems likely to cause a delay in a case and further reduce the possibility that it will get to trial before the November general election, when Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee for president.
In his order, McAfee said he planned to continue to address other pretrial motions “regardless of whether the petition is granted ... and even if any subsequent appeal is expedited by the appellate court.” But Trump and the others could ask the Court of Appeals to stay the case while the appeal is pending.
McAfee wrote in his order in March that the prosecution was “encumbered by an appearance of impropriety.” He said Willis could remain on the case only if Wade left, and the special prosecutor submitted his resignation hours later.
The allegations that Willis had improperly benefited from her romance with Wade resulted in a tumultuous couple of months in the case as intimate details of Willis and Wade’s personal lives were aired in court in mid-February. The serious charges in one of four criminal cases against the Republican former president were largely overshadowed by the love lives of the prosecutors.
Trump and 18 others were indicted in August, accused of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn his narrow 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
All of the defendants were charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law, an expansive anti-racketeering statute. Four people charged in the case have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.
Trump and other defendants had argued in their appeal application that McAfee was wrong not to remove both Willis and Wade, writing that “providing DA Willis with the option to simply remove Wade confounds logic and is contrary to Georgia law.”
The allegations against Willis first surfaced in a motion filed in early January by Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman. The motion alleged that Willis and Wade were involved in an inappropriate romantic relationship and that Willis paid Wade large sums for his work and then benefitted when he paid for lavish vacations.
Willis and Wade acknowledged the relationship but said they didn’t begin dating until the spring of 2022, after Wade was hired in November 2021, and their romance ended last summer. They also testified that they split travel costs roughly evenly, with Willis often paying expenses or reimbursing Wade in cash.
Mississippi
City official resigns after pleading guilty to drug conspiracy in vape shops
BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — A city council member in south Mississippi is leaving office after pleading guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to running a business that sold illegal drugs in his home state and North Carolina.
Robert Leon Deming, III, announced his resignation from the Biloxi City Council on Tuesday, according to local news outlets. He was in his third term.
Federal prosecutors announced last week that Deming reached a plea agreement. They said he sold over $2 million worth of CBD and vape products containing controlled substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration received complaints that some of the products made customers ill.
In 2020, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Deming’s business, the Candy Shop.
As part of his plea agreement, Deming agreed to forfeit more than $1.9 million and a yellow monster truck. His sentencing is set for August.
Deming ran for a U.S. House seat in south Mississippi in 2020, losing in the Republican primary.
Mississippi
Ex-sheriff pleads guilty to lying to FBI about asking for nude photos from inmate
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former Mississippi sheriff pleaded guilty Tuesday to making a false statement to FBI agents when they questioned him about requesting and receiving nude photos and videos of a female inmate and about giving her preferential treatment in the jail he supervised, federal prosecutors said.
Terry Grassaree, 61, of Macon, was sheriff of Noxubee County for eight years, until January 2020.
Grassaree used Facebook on March 5, 2019, to request a video from the inmate, and he received multiple nude images from her that day, according to an indictment of him issued last year. Grassaree sent messages back to the inmate, including, “I like it” and “Body looks perfect,” according to the indictment.
Grassaree gave the inmate benefits that others did not receive, or did not receive as often, including the use of a prohibited cellphone, tobacco and other items, the indictment said. She was also made a trusty and was given a job cooking in the jail.
During a July 2020 FBI interview, Grassaree lied about requesting the photos and videos from the inmate, and his statements were intended to influence the investigation of him and the treatment of detainees in the Noxubee County jail, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the southern district of Mississippi.
A federal grand jury indicted Grassaree on several charges, including wire fraud and destruction or falsification of records in a federal investigation. He faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to one charge of making a false statement. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 7.
Appeals court agrees to review ruling allowing Fani Willis to stay on Trump election case
ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday agreed to review a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against former President Donald Trump.
Trump and some other defendants in the case had tried to get Willis and her office removed from the case, saying her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created a conflict of interest. Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee in March found that no conflict of interest existed that should force Willis off the case, but he granted a request from Trump and the other defendants to seek an appeal of his ruling from the Georgia Court of Appeals.
That intermediate appeals court agreed on Wednesday to take up the case. Once it rules, the losing side could ask the Georgia Supreme Court to consider an appeal.
Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, said in an email that the former president looks forward to presenting arguments to the appeals court as to why the case should be dismissed and why Willis “should be disqualified for her misconduct in this unjustified, unwarranted political persecution.”
The appeals court’s decision to consider the case seems likely to cause a delay in a case and further reduce the possibility that it will get to trial before the November general election, when Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee for president.
In his order, McAfee said he planned to continue to address other pretrial motions “regardless of whether the petition is granted ... and even if any subsequent appeal is expedited by the appellate court.” But Trump and the others could ask the Court of Appeals to stay the case while the appeal is pending.
McAfee wrote in his order in March that the prosecution was “encumbered by an appearance of impropriety.” He said Willis could remain on the case only if Wade left, and the special prosecutor submitted his resignation hours later.
The allegations that Willis had improperly benefited from her romance with Wade resulted in a tumultuous couple of months in the case as intimate details of Willis and Wade’s personal lives were aired in court in mid-February. The serious charges in one of four criminal cases against the Republican former president were largely overshadowed by the love lives of the prosecutors.
Trump and 18 others were indicted in August, accused of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn his narrow 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
All of the defendants were charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law, an expansive anti-racketeering statute. Four people charged in the case have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.
Trump and other defendants had argued in their appeal application that McAfee was wrong not to remove both Willis and Wade, writing that “providing DA Willis with the option to simply remove Wade confounds logic and is contrary to Georgia law.”
The allegations against Willis first surfaced in a motion filed in early January by Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman. The motion alleged that Willis and Wade were involved in an inappropriate romantic relationship and that Willis paid Wade large sums for his work and then benefitted when he paid for lavish vacations.
Willis and Wade acknowledged the relationship but said they didn’t begin dating until the spring of 2022, after Wade was hired in November 2021, and their romance ended last summer. They also testified that they split travel costs roughly evenly, with Willis often paying expenses or reimbursing Wade in cash.
Mississippi
City official resigns after pleading guilty to drug conspiracy in vape shops
BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — A city council member in south Mississippi is leaving office after pleading guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to running a business that sold illegal drugs in his home state and North Carolina.
Robert Leon Deming, III, announced his resignation from the Biloxi City Council on Tuesday, according to local news outlets. He was in his third term.
Federal prosecutors announced last week that Deming reached a plea agreement. They said he sold over $2 million worth of CBD and vape products containing controlled substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration received complaints that some of the products made customers ill.
In 2020, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Deming’s business, the Candy Shop.
As part of his plea agreement, Deming agreed to forfeit more than $1.9 million and a yellow monster truck. His sentencing is set for August.
Deming ran for a U.S. House seat in south Mississippi in 2020, losing in the Republican primary.
Mississippi
Ex-sheriff pleads guilty to lying to FBI about asking for nude photos from inmate
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former Mississippi sheriff pleaded guilty Tuesday to making a false statement to FBI agents when they questioned him about requesting and receiving nude photos and videos of a female inmate and about giving her preferential treatment in the jail he supervised, federal prosecutors said.
Terry Grassaree, 61, of Macon, was sheriff of Noxubee County for eight years, until January 2020.
Grassaree used Facebook on March 5, 2019, to request a video from the inmate, and he received multiple nude images from her that day, according to an indictment of him issued last year. Grassaree sent messages back to the inmate, including, “I like it” and “Body looks perfect,” according to the indictment.
Grassaree gave the inmate benefits that others did not receive, or did not receive as often, including the use of a prohibited cellphone, tobacco and other items, the indictment said. She was also made a trusty and was given a job cooking in the jail.
During a July 2020 FBI interview, Grassaree lied about requesting the photos and videos from the inmate, and his statements were intended to influence the investigation of him and the treatment of detainees in the Noxubee County jail, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the southern district of Mississippi.
A federal grand jury indicted Grassaree on several charges, including wire fraud and destruction or falsification of records in a federal investigation. He faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to one charge of making a false statement. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 7.
