Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. The New York jury delivered the verdict after fewer than 10 hours of deliberation over two days, marking a historic first for a former U.S. president.
Trump, 77, now faces the possibility of prison time, with each count carrying a maximum penalty of four years. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to be confirmed as the GOP's presidential nominee. Despite the conviction, Trump remains free without bail and is certain to appeal the verdict.
The case centered on payments made by Trump's then-personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to Daniels to keep her from going public with claims of an affair with Trump in 2006. Cohen testified that Trump directed him to pay Daniels $130,000 to prevent her story from damaging his chances in the 2016 election. Trump and the Trump Organization subsequently reimbursed Cohen, falsely recording the payments as legal expenses.
"This was a disgrace," Trump declared after the verdict. "This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt." Trump's son, Eric, visibly angry, stood by as the jury foreman read out each "guilty" verdict.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. praised the jury, describing them as "12 everyday New Yorkers" who diligently reviewed evidence and testimonies from 22 witnesses. "While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial, and ultimately today at this verdict, in the same manner as every other case that comes," Bragg stated.
The trial, which lasted nearly two months, featured compelling testimony from key witnesses including Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Pecker testified about a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower where he promised to use his media influence to suppress negative stories about Trump.
Trump's conviction has significant political implications. President Joe Biden's campaign responded swiftly, emphasizing that the verdict reinforces the principle that no one is above the law. "The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater," said Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler. "The American people face a simple reality: there is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box."
Trump's legal troubles extend beyond the hush money case. He faces three other pending criminal cases, including charges related to efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in federal court in Washington, D.C., and in Georgia state court. Additionally, Trump is charged in federal court in Florida with crimes related to his retention of classified government documents after leaving office and attempting to obstruct their recovery by federal officials.
Beyond the criminal cases, Trump also faces significant civil judgments. A New York Supreme Court ordered him to pay over $450 million for business fraud involving the Trump Organization. He also owes nearly $90 million in damages to writer E. Jean Carroll, who testified that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s. Trump is appealing the verdicts in all three civil cases.
The logistics of potentially imprisoning a former president present unique challenges, especially considering Trump's lifetime Secret Service protection. "Our security measures will proceed unchanged," said Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service's chief of communications. Whether Trump could serve a sentence in home detention at his Mar-a-Lago estate or in a New York correctional facility remains to be seen, contingent on the length and nature of his sentence.
Should Trump be sentenced to jail time, it would likely involve significant security measures and isolation from other inmates. Legal experts suggest that a home detention sentence could be a feasible middle ground, allowing Trump to continue his presidential campaign, albeit with restrictions.
