ATLANTA -- Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman didn鈥檛 recognize the man who banged on her door. Terrified, she called 911. She had reason to fear.

By the morning of Dec. 15, 2020, when she saw the stranger's red sedan parked in her driveway, she had received hundreds of threats from supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Two weeks earlier, Trump鈥檚 campaign had falsely accused Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea 鈥淪haye鈥 Moss, of pulling fake ballots from suitcases at Atlanta's State Farm Arena to rig the 2020 election for Democrat Joe Biden.

The man had already passed a message to Freeman through a neighbor: Freeman's time was running out, he said, and he could help her and her daughter. When a police officer responded and questioned the man outside Freeman鈥檚 home, he introduced himself as Steve Lee, a police chaplain from Illinois.

Now Lee is under scrutiny in a criminal investigation into alleged election interference by Trump and his allies in Georgia, according to a source with direct knowledge of the probe.

Lee played a central role in a failed effort to pressure Freeman to admit to an election fraud that never occurred, according to a Reuters examination of police body camera footage and court documents, as well as interviews with key participants. After being rebuffed by Freeman, Lee contacted Harrison Floyd, who had run outreach to black voters for Trump鈥檚 2020 campaign. Floyd arranged another visit to Freeman on Jan. 4, 2021, this time from Chicago publicist Trevian Kutti, who threatened Freeman with jail unless she provided information on election fraud, Reuters reported last December.

Lee鈥檚 identity has not been previously reported. The investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney鈥檚 office is examining Lee鈥檚 coordination with Floyd and Kutti as Trump鈥檚 campaign was desperately seeking evidence of vote-rigging to justify overturning his election loss. On Jan. 6, two days after Kutti鈥檚 visit to Freeman, Congress certified Biden鈥檚 victory, despite the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that day by Trump supporters trying to halt the proceedings.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in a Sept. 2 court filing that she was seeking testimony from Floyd, who detailed his involvement in pursuing Freeman in a lengthy interview with Reuters last December. The prosecutor鈥檚 filing noted that Floyd told Reuters he had arranged Kutti鈥檚 meeting with Freeman at the request of an unidentified man, whom Floyd described as a chaplain with federal law enforcement connections.

Reuters identified that chaplain as Lee through previously unreported police records and body camera footage showing police speaking with Lee outside Freeman鈥檚 home. Lee formerly worked as a policeman in California and later served as a chaplain comforting officers and others after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York. A New York City Police Department spokesperson confirmed Lee鈥檚 work with its officers.

As Reuters reported on Dec. 10, Freeman told police that Kutti tried to get her to falsely implicate herself in voting fraud. Shedding new light on the incident, the district attorney鈥檚 court filing last week said Kutti warned Freeman that 鈥渁n armed squad鈥 of federal officers would approach her and her family within 48 hours and that Kutti had access to 鈥渧ery high-profile people that can make particular things happen 鈥 in order to defend yourself and your family.鈥

A source with direct knowledge of the Georgia investigation said Lee, Kutti and Floyd are all 鈥渟ubjects of interest鈥 of the criminal probe. Willis has previously sought testimony from Kutti.

No charges have been filed in the case. A spokesperson for Willis鈥 office did not respond to a request for comment.

Lee, in a brief interview at his home in Montgomery, Illinois, did not dispute that he visited Freeman but declined to discuss why or whether someone had sent him.

Floyd and Kutti did not respond to requests for comment. They have previously denied they tried to pressure Freeman to falsely confess to election fraud, saying they were trying to help her.

鈥業鈥橫 NOT INTERESTED鈥

Freeman was so shaken by Lee鈥檚 attempts to contact her that she called 911 three times on Dec. 15, 2020, the morning he parked in her driveway. Two Cobb County Police officers responded, one of whom interviewed Lee outside her home. Lee said he wanted to speak with Freeman and produced his Illinois driver鈥檚 license, according to previously unreported body camera footage obtained through a public-records request.

鈥淚'm a pastor, and I'm also working with some folks who are trying to help Ruby out,鈥 Lee told the officer, without identifying the people. 鈥淎nd also get to some truth of what's going on.鈥

He described himself as 鈥減rior law enforcement鈥 and a 鈥渟ergeant out in California.鈥 He said he had 鈥渟ome pro bono service for her if she's interested.鈥

She wasn鈥檛.

鈥淚'm not interested,鈥 she told the officer in a separate interview captured on bodycam, saying she had done nothing wrong. 鈥淚 have a pastor.鈥

The same man had shown up at her house the night before, Freeman reported. She wasn鈥檛 home. Lee spoke with a neighbor, and that鈥檚 when Lee passed the message saying he could help Freeman. She told police Lee had said 鈥渉e knew it was going to get worse. And he wanted to help me before it got too late.鈥

Freeman, who describes herself as a devout Christian, said she didn't recognize the man and wanted to report him for harassment. The officer replied that he would inform Lee she didn鈥檛 want to speak with him.

The chaplain then turned to Floyd for help. In the December interview, Floyd did not identify the chaplain by name but said his visit was captured on police bodycam video, which Reuters reviewed. The clergyman 鈥渨as sent to talk to her,鈥 Floyd added. He declined to say who sent him, but said the chaplain had been contacted by 鈥渃onnections that he had in law enforcement.鈥 The chaplain reached out to Floyd because he believed Freeman would not trust a white stranger, Floyd said. Freeman and Floyd are both Black.

Floyd also said people 鈥渋nvolved with the Trump campaign鈥 contacted him and said they had heard Freeman wanted immunity.

Freeman has repeatedly said she is innocent and therefore never sought any immunity deal. Prosecutors never considered offering her immunity because they had no reason to believe she was involved in fraud, according to a former Department of Justice official with direct knowledge of the matter.

Nevertheless, Floyd said he received calls from attorneys in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan who said a confession from Freeman would help their litigation efforts. At the time, Trump and his allies went to court in those states seeking to overturn his election loss.

Floyd and Lee joined several phone calls with attorneys who were 鈥渋nterested in offering immunity,鈥 Floyd said. He declined to identify the lawyers. Floyd said he agreed to arrange the meeting with Freeman after speaking with Lee 鈥渕ultiple times at length鈥 and reviewing the chaplain鈥檚 law enforcement credentials.

Georgia election officials quickly debunked the baseless accusations against Freeman. The oft-repeated false claims started with the Trump campaign telling Georgia lawmakers at a Dec. 3, 2020 hearing that a surveillance video of Freeman and her daughter handling ballots at State Farm Arena amounted to shocking evidence of fraud. In fact, state officials said, the video showed normal ballot processing.

鈥楪ROUND ZERO鈥 CHAPLAIN

Lee had a long career in law enforcement before he starting focusing on his ministry as a chaplain. He was a sergeant in the Mendocino County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, where he worked from 1980 to 1987. According to his online biography, he also served as a special agent for the U.S. Navy鈥檚 law-enforcement arm, now known as the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In 1996, he founded Peace Officer Ministries Inc, a Christian organization that serves officers and their families, and served as its executive director until January 2010, according to archived pages of the organization鈥檚 website.

From 2016 to 2018, Lee led a 鈥淨uick Response Team,鈥 sponsored by an Illinois Lutheran church, that provided chaplaincy support to law enforcement in crisis situations. On the team鈥檚 Twitter account, he posted a field report in February 2017 that included a photograph of himself outside Trump Tower. He said he 鈥渂riefed a Trump transition team advisor on a volunteer federal law enforcement chaplaincy proposal.鈥 He said Trump had 鈥渋ssued a clarion call to make America great again and drain the swamp,鈥 urging support for 鈥渢hese noble goals.鈥

In February 2018, his response team scaled down operations because of an opportunity he had found 鈥渢o work more directly with the federal government鈥 during the Trump administration, Lee wrote in a post to the organization鈥檚 supporters. Reuters could not confirm what work, if any, Lee did for the Trump administration.

In an October 2021 speech, Lee endorsed James Marter, a pro-Trump Republican candidate for U.S. Congress from Illinois. In supporting Marter, who later lost the Republican primary, Lee said he had always avoided politics but felt compelled to get involved because "we're facing the extinction of America."

Billed by Marter鈥檚 campaign as the 鈥淕round Zero鈥 chaplain, Lee told the audience he provided religious support to New York City police and other emergency responders for about a month after the Sept. 11 attacks.

At the time, Bernard Kerik was New York City police commissioner and Rudy Giuliani was mayor. Both were deeply involved at the Ground Zero site, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed. And both men emerged after the 2020 election as prominent figures pushing Trump鈥檚 baseless claims of voter fraud in Fulton County.

Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment, and Reuters could not independently verify whether he knew Lee or knew of his work after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Kerik said he did not recall meeting Lee, either after the attacks or since the 2020 election.

"Never met him to my knowledge," he said. "I don't recall a Lee related to Georgia's elections."

At a December hearing with Georgia lawmakers, Giuliani falsely accused Freeman and Moss of 鈥渟tealing votes鈥 and engaging in 鈥渟urreptitious illegal activity.鈥 Last month, Willis鈥 office notified Giuliani that he was a target of her investigation.

After the election, Giuliani headed a legal team working on Trump鈥檚 behalf to overturn the election results. Kerik worked as the team's lead investigator, according to his personal website. A 鈥淪trategic Communications Plan,鈥 developed by the team to build public support for Trump鈥檚 election challenges, called for drawing public attention to the baseless charges against Freeman and her daughter. Kerik later turned over the document to the congressional committee probing the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

鈥楽AVE OUR REPUBLIC鈥

After speaking with the chaplain, Floyd said he enlisted the help of Kutti, a former publicist for hip-hop and R&B singers. Kutti had been in Georgia in 2020 to help with Republican campaign efforts, including briefly managing the unsuccessful congressional campaign of a Trump ally.

On Dec. 29, a few days before meeting Freeman, Kutti urged Trump in a social media post to 鈥渦nleash every military and Executive power you have to save our Republic.鈥 She ended the post with the hashtag #byanymeansnecessary.

The stakes were high. An admission of fraud by Freeman, an election worker in the state鈥檚 biggest county, could have cast doubt over Trump鈥檚 loss in Georgia and given Trump ammunition to halt Congress from certifying Biden鈥檚 win on Jan. 6. If Freeman had committed fraud and wanted immunity, Floyd told Reuters, 鈥渢hat's really important to get to the right people before an election is certified.鈥

Trump himself singled out Freeman, by name, 18 times in a now-infamous call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, in which he pressed Georgia officials to alter the state鈥檚 results based on his bogus fraud claims. He falsely attacked the 62-year-old temp worker as a 鈥減rofessional vote scammer,鈥 a 鈥渉ustler鈥 and a 鈥渒nown political operative鈥 who 鈥渟tuffed the ballot boxes.鈥

Floyd said Kutti agreed to visit Freeman. On the evening of Jan. 4, Kutti showed up at Freeman鈥檚 home with another man, a Georgia representative of the campaign coalition Black Voices for Trump. Freeman has said she didn鈥檛 know the visitors supported Trump when they came to her door. As Reuters previously reported, Freeman was wary but agreed to talk to Kutti at the police station.

Kutti tried to get Freeman to falsely implicate herself in voter fraud that night, Freeman told police. A Cobb County Police report identified Kutti as an 鈥渁lleged Trump supporter who attempted to get Ms. Freeman to make false claims about the ballot counting.鈥 When the two met at the police station, Kutti told Freeman: 鈥淵ou are a loose end for a party that needs to tidy up,鈥 police body camera footage shows.

Kutti said Floyd had 鈥渁uthoritative powers鈥 to get Freeman 鈥減rotection,鈥 according to the footage. She then dialed in Floyd, and the conversation continued for about an hour. At one point, Floyd asked Freeman whether she had handled 鈥渉onest ballots鈥 on election night. During the discussion, 鈥淔reeman was pressured to reveal information under the threat of incarceration if she did not comply,鈥 Willis said in her Sept. 2 court filing.

Freeman said in an interview that she was offended by Kutti鈥檚 offer of protection and rejected it.

Before meeting with Freeman, Kutti told a police officer that the election worker "was in danger and had 48 hours to speak with her so that she could get ahead of the issue鈥 and that 鈥渦nknown subjects were going to be at鈥 Freeman鈥檚 residence, according to a police report.

On Jan. 5, the day after Kutti met with Freeman, a group of pro-Trump protesters descended on Freeman鈥檚 home in a quiet residential neighborhood, according to a 911 call reporting the gathering and interviews with two neighbors.

Five or six vehicles carrying Trump supporters, some with signs and flags, came to Freeman鈥檚 house, saying they were there because they were 鈥渦pset with Ruby Freeman,鈥 according to a neighbor who reported the incident to Cobb County police. Neighbors said they confronted the protestors, who agreed to move down the street.

Freeman had left her home by the time of the afternoon protest. She fled after being warned of potential danger by an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and remained in hiding for two months afterwards, Freeman said in an interview.

Willis鈥 court filing said Floyd is a 鈥渘ecessary and material鈥 witness to her investigation. 鈥淭he witness possesses unique knowledge鈥 of Kutti鈥檚 conversations with Freeman, Willis wrote, and of the communications involved in setting up the meeting - including those with the Trump campaign and others 鈥渋nvolved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia.鈥

In December 2021, Reuters first reported the details of the ordeal Moss and Freeman endured after the 2020 election. The women described threats of lynching, racial slurs and alarming visits by strangers. Freeman had been a temporary election worker in Fulton County; daughter Moss was full-time. Both ultimately quit because of the threats.

In June, Freeman testified before the congressional committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot. She said she remained rattled by the campaign of intimidation.

鈥淭here is nowhere I feel safe,鈥 she said. 鈥淣owhere.鈥

(Reporting by Linda So and Jason Szep in Atlanta; reporting by Peter Eisler in Montgomery, Illinois; additional reporting by Joseph Tanfani; editing by Brian Thevenot)