Attorney Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge Friday, just as jury selection was underway in his trial, on charges that he participated in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.

Chesebro, who was charged along with Trump and 17 others with violating state anti-racketeering law, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiring to file false documents in a last-minute deal. His plea came a day after fellow attorney Sidney Powell, who was scheduled to appear in court with him, entered her own guilty plea to six felonies.

The two guilty pleas and a third bond last month are big wins for Fulton County

District Attorney Dist. Atty.

Fani Willis, who received the indictment in August. They allow her to avoid a lengthy trial against just two suspects, which would have given those remaining a glimpse into her trial strategy and narrowed down an unwieldy group of suspects.

Chesebro was initially charged with racketeering and six other charges as part of a wide-ranging scheme to keep the Republican president in power after he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. The indictment alleges that Chesebro coordinated and executed a scheme to have 16 Republicans in Georgia sign a certificate falsely declaring that Trump won the state and declared himself duly elected and qualified electors.

For prosecutors, the plea deal ensures Chesebro publicly accepts responsibility for his conduct in the case and removes the uncertainty of a trial by a jury of his peers. It also forces him to testify about communications he had with Trump campaign lawyers and close associates, including co-defendant Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and a lawyer for Trump.

Jury selection was set to begin Friday for the trial of Powell and Chesebro, after both filed requests for a speedy trial. After Powell pleaded guilty, Chesebro would continue the trial on his own.

As part of Powell’s deal, she will be on probation for six years, fined $6,000 and required to write a letter of apology to Georgia and its residents. She also testified for prosecutors and agreed to testify truthfully against her co-defendants at future trials.

A less prominent defendant in the case, bail bondsman Scott Graham Hall, pleaded guilty to five felonies last month. He was sentenced to five years’ probation and agreed to testify in further proceedings.

All other defendants, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors allege that Chesebro illegally conspired with Trump and lawyers involved in his campaign to get the group of Georgia Republicans to sign the fake election certificate and submit it to various federal authorities. He also communicated with Trump campaign lawyers and Republican leaders in other swing states won by Biden to have those states also submit false voter rolls, prosecutors alleged.

That included writing memos advocating for Republicans in those states to meet and cast electoral votes for Trump, and providing detailed instructions on how to conduct the process. In an email to Giuliani, he outlined strategies to disrupt and delay the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress to certify electoral votes. He wrote that these strategies were “preferable to allowing the Electoral Count Act to operate under its terms.”