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Rudy Giuliani surrenders at Fulton County Jail for Georgia RICO charges

By
Graham Kates
Reporter
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
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Graham Kates

/ CBS News

Rudy Giuliani turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail Wednesday on charges alleging he and others attempted to thwart the 2020 election results in Georgia. 

As he left his New York apartment building Wednesday morning, he told reporters, "I'm going to Georgia, and I'm feeling very, very good about it because I feel I'm defending the rights of all Americans, as I did so many times as a United States attorney." 

"I'm going to vote to Fulton County to comply with the law, which I always do," Giuliani said, adding, "I don't know if I plead today, but if I do, I'll plead not guilty. And I'll get photographed, isn't that nice? A mugshot, (of) the man who probably put the worst criminals of the 20th century in jail."

rudolph-giuliani.png
Rudy Giuliani mugshot from Fulton County Sheriff's Office.  Fulton County Sheriff's Office

"You find a prosecutor who has a better record than mine in the last hundred years —I bet you don't," he added. He told reporters, "I'm the same Rudy Giuliani who took down the mafia, made New York City the safest city in America, reduced crime more than any mayor in the history of any city anywhere, and I'm fighting for justice."

Lawyers for Giuliani met with the district attorney Wednesday afternoon, and his bond was set at $150,000. 

He was accompanied by former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, a source said. Kerik, a longtime ally of Giuliani's, is not one of the 19 defendants in the Fulton County case. 

Rudy Giuliani Attends Court Hearing In Poll Worker Defamation Case
 Former New York City Mayor and former personal lawyer for former President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani talks to members of the press before he leaves the U.S. District Court on May 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.  Alex Wong / Getty Images

Giuliani said he would plead not guilty. He said he would likely get a mug shot, despite that he is "the man who probably put the worst criminals of the 20th century in jail."

Giuliani is one of 19 defendants, including former President Donald Trump, who have been indicted on racketeering and other charges in Fulton County related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. 

He was central to a campaign to challenge the results after Trump lost, taking on a leadership role both in internal planning as well as cheerleading the effort in public — holding a famous press conference after the election at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia, saying Trump would not concede, and spreading misinformation in appearances before state legislatures.

The indictment claims Giuliani, "in furtherance of the conspiracy" to overturn the election, sought to push legislators in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan to "unlawfully appoint" presidential electors from their states.

Giuliani has denied all wrongdoing in the case, and has criticized Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' handling of the investigation.

On Tuesday, Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman, and John Eastman, a conservative attorney, were also booked at the jail. Both men were eligible for bond. A request to Hall for comment was not immediately returned.

Eastman said in a statement that he and his legal team plan to contest the charges and said he is confident he will be "fully vindicated." 

Willis gave those charged until noon Friday to surrender to authorities. 

Trump said on his social media platform Monday that he will turn himself in on Thursday. He has denied wrongdoing in the case.

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