Former US president Donald Trump was arrested at a Georgia jail Thursday on racketeering and conspiracy charges and released on a $200,000 bond after having a historic mug shot taken.
Trump, who is accused of colluding with 18 other defendants to overturn the 2020 election result in the southern state, spent less than 30 minutes inside Atlanta's Fulton County Jail before leaving in a motorcade for the airport.
The twice-impeached 45th president was not expected to be held by authorities for long — most of his co-defendants were inside the jail for less than an hour.
The dramatic surrender, the in just the past few months, came on the same day as Trump inexplicably shook up his legal team.
He hired , a well-known defense attorney, to replace , also a prominent defense lawyer who negotiated the terms of his surrender.
No reasons were given for the legal musical chairs, an unusual tactic for anyone who is facing serious criminal jeopardy like Trump.
Prosecutors have already agreed with Trump's lawyers on a $200,000 bond package. Trump and the others are expected to be arraigned at a future date.
Trump was indicted in last week with his allies including ex-, right wing law professor and ex-personal lawyer .
Trump will be subjected to at least a short stint in one of the nation's more unpleasant criminal justice facilities at the jail in downtown .
Although the will be on hand to protect Trump, the jail is a dangerous place for most in his shoes.
The last month opened an investigation into poor conditions at the jail, citing filthy cells, violence and the death last year of a man whose body was found covered in insects in the main jail's psychiatric wing.
Trump was hit with 13 charges related to the 2020 election, including the most serious charge of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.
The carries a five year mandatory minimum sentence. Under state law, if convicted neither Trump nor anyone else could be pardoned for the crime.
The charges stem from Trump's multi-pronged effort to overturn his loss in and elsewhere, including bullying officials to change vote totals and recruiting slates of bogus slates of fake pro-Trump electors.
Trump was demanding that Secretary of State should "find" just enough votes to outstrip President Biden's lead in the Peach State.
Willis has also charged Trump with orchestrating a which his campaign hoped to obtain data to bolster fake claims of widespread voter fraud.
Trump dismisses all of the charges, defending his to enquire about possible voter fraud.
A few dozen supporters of the former Republican president gathered outside the jail, including Sharon Anderson who spent the night in her car.
"I think this is a political persecution and now that's turned into a political prosecution," Anderson told AFP.
