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(TJV) A New York jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records connected to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels by his then-personal lawyer before the 2016 election.
Trump is now the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.
Trumps statement after this disgrace of a verdict: pic.twitter.com/KDxnTbsDAV
— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) May 30, 2024
His sentencing is set for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET, just five days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is expected to be confirmed as the GOP’s presidential nominee.
Trump faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison for each count.
During the reading of the verdict, Trump remained stoic, while his son Eric appeared visibly angry as each “guilty” verdict was read.
The jury, composed of 12 members, deliberated for less than 10 hours over two days before reaching their decision. They sent a note to Judge Juan Merchan indicating they had a verdict, surprising many who anticipated a dismissal for the day.
Trump, appearing resigned, sat with his arms crossed in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. The jury, after taking time to fill out the verdict form, was brought back into the courtroom about half an hour later.
Trump, aged 77, faced 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in relation to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels made by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen before the 2016 election.
Judge Merchan thanked the jurors for their service, acknowledging the personal sacrifices they made during the trial.
The verdict came after the jury heard readbacks of testimony from Michael Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, along with legal instructions provided by Judge Merchan the previous day.
This marks the first time a former U.S. president has been charged with a crime.
The case revolved around reimbursements made by Trump and the Trump Organization to Cohen for the payment to Daniels, intended to prevent her from disclosing an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Cohen testified that Trump directed him to make the payment to avoid damaging his presidential campaign.
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Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, faces three other pending criminal cases:
- Efforts to Overturn 2020 Election: Two cases, one in federal court in Washington, D.C., and another in Georgia state court in Atlanta, involve Trump’s actions to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.
- Classified Documents: In Florida, Trump is charged with crimes related to his retention of classified government documents after leaving the White House in January 2021 and attempts to prevent their recovery by federal officials.
Civil Judgments Against Trump
Trump also faces significant civil judgments:
- Business Fraud: A Manhattan Supreme Court ruling orders Trump to pay over $450 million in damages for business fraud related to the Trump Organization’s real estate valuations.
- Defamation Cases: Federal juries awarded nearly $90 million in damages to writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of rape in the mid-1990s. Trump is appealing these verdicts.
