Former Donald Trump presidential chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump 2020 Election Day operations director Michael Roman entered pleas of not guilty on Friday in Phoenix to nine felony charges related to efforts to overturn Trump's Arizona election loss to Joe Biden. The plea came during separate videoconference hearings before Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Shellie Smith, who has set an Oct. 31 trial date for the defendants.

According to the indictment, Meadows is accused of collaborating with other Trump campaign members to submit the names of fake electors from Arizona and other states to Congress in a bid to keep Trump in office, despite his defeat at the ballot box in November 2020. It is alleged that 11 Arizona Republicans falsely declared that Trump had won in the state, despite Biden's victory by more than 10,000 votes.

Roman, on the other hand, is implicated in the indictment for allegedly working closely with Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Boris Epshteyn, among others, to organize the fake elector votes in Arizona and six other states.

During the hearings, Meadows and Roman only responded to Smith's inquiries by providing their names and birthdates, while their attorneys entered the pleas of not guilty on their behalf.

Outside the court, Roman's attorney, Kurt Altman, expressed his intention to vigorously fight the charges, stating that his client has no connection with Arizona and is puzzled as to why the indictment was brought against him in the first place.

Meanwhile, Giuliani, John Eastman, Christina Bobb, and Jenna Ellis, all Trump attorneys, are also facing felony charges stemming from their involvement in the scheme to submit fake electors. Epshteyn, Ellis, and James Lamon, a Republican who claimed Trump carried Arizona, are scheduled to enter their pleas on June 18.

It is worth noting that Meadows and Roman have previously pleaded not guilty in Georgia state court for their alleged participation in an illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 election results. Furthermore, Roman was recently charged in Wisconsin with forgery, accused of delivering fake elector paperwork to a Pennsylvania congressman's staffer in an attempt to reach then-Vice President Mike Pence during the certification of the election results on January 6, 2021.

Criminal charges related to the fake electors' scheme have also been filed in other states, including Michigan, Nevada, and Georgia.

As the legal proceedings move forward, all eyes will be on the upcoming trial date of October 31, when Meadows and Roman will have the opportunity to present their defense against the serious felony charges brought against them.