- By August 25, Trump is expected to be booked at a notorious Atlanta jail known as ‘Rice Street.’
- It’s not clear if Trump will see the inside of a jail cell during booking.
- But the Georgia facility has a history of inmate deaths and allegations of squalor.
By August 25, 2023, former President Donald Trump will be booked once again on criminal charges — and this time he’s expected to be processed at a notorious Atlanta jail currently being investigated by the feds over allegations of squalid conditions.
On Monday, a grand jury indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants on charges including racketeering, conspiracy, and making false statements over attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told reporters after announcing the sweeping indictment that Trump and the other 18 co-defendants have until noon on August 25 to voluntarily turn themselves in to be booked.
The Fulton County sheriff’s office said in a statement on Tuesday that “it is expected” that Trump and the co-defendants will be booked in the county’s Rice Street jail.
Still, the sheriff’s office warned that “due to the unprecedented nature of this case, some circumstances may change with little to no warning.” In Manhattan, where he faced a different criminal indictment in April, Trump wasn’t required to have his mugshot taken or be handcuffed.
Robert G. Rubin, a longtime defense attorney, told the New York Times that Trump’s stay would be “generally unpleasant” if he is held in the jail during his booking.
“It’s miserable. It’s cold. It smells,” Rubin told the Times. “Plus, there’s a high degree of anxiety for any defendant that’s in that position.”
Though a bond agreement will likely prevent Trump from staying overnight as an inmate in Georgia, the Times reported, the Fulton County jail has a dark history of inmate deaths.
Handout from Michael Harper
Four inmates at the jail died within a week in 2022, Insider’s Narimes Parakul reported earlier this month
“We’re just letting people literally rot away there,” Sarah Flack, a defense attorney in Atlanta, told Insider.
In September 2022, Lashawn Thompson, who was held in the jail’s mental health ward, was also found dead in a cell riddled with bed bugs with bites all over his body, according to his family’s attorney.
Earlier in August, Fulton County reached a $4 million settlement with Thompson’s family over his death.
The Department of Justice is now investigating the condition at the facility.
Handout from Michael Harper
As it stands, Trump’s attorneys are negotiating the terms of his surrender with the Fulton County DA, according to CNN.
Willis is seeking to start the trial on Georgia’s charges on March 4, which is a day before Super Tuesday — one of the most consequential days of the GOP primaries.
Trump has denied wrongdoing in the case and repeatedly accused Willis — a Democrat — of being politically motivated.
Correction August 17, 2023: This article has been updated to reflect uncertainty about where Trump and his allies will be booked on charges in Georgia.