This week, the Georgia Attorney General’s Office dropped some of the more frivolous charges in the “Stop Cop City” case.
As Reason has previously reported , state prosecutors have indicted more than 60 people on racketeering charges related to the protests against the construction of a police training facility near Atlanta; opponents call the project “Cop City” and march under the banner “Stop Cop City.” The majority of those indicted were not alleged to have committed any crimes more severe than misdemeanor trespassing.
Five defendants were additionally charged with arson and domestic terrorism. Prosecutors also singled out three others—Marlon Kautz, Adele MacLean, and Savannah Patterson, who operate the Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF), a nonprofit bail fund used by Stop Cop City protesters—with 15 counts each of money laundering.
In a motion filed September 17 , Deputy Attorney General John Fowler asked that “the Court enter an order of Nolle Prosequi on Counts 4-18” of the indictment—the 15 money laundering charges. Nolle prosequi is the process by which a prosecutor withdraws all or part of a criminal complaint or a plaintiff withdraws a lawsuit.