Former President Donald Trump is now a convicted felony as he has been found guilty of 34 felonies by the jury in his “hush money” trial in New York on Thursday.
This historic decision that makes the 45th President of the United States the first former president in U.S. history to be convicted of a crime.
The trial, which lasted six weeks, wrapped up with a ‘guilty’ verdict in less than two days of deliberations by a jury of 12 New Yorkers who found that Trump violated the law by falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. They found him guilty on all counts at the end of their second day of deliberations.
Trump, who has been mostly stoic in the courtroom, stared at each juror as they confirmed their vote to convict. But after court was dismissed, he angrily denounced the decision in the hallway outside the courtroom, vowing to fight the conviction.
Jurors sided with prosecutors who said that Trump authorized the plan to falsify checks and related records in an effort to prevent voters from learning of an alleged sexual encounter with Daniels. Prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the conspiracy spanned his 2016 campaign and continued well into his first year in the White House. Trump denied having sex with Daniels and pleaded not guilty.
Justice Juan Merchan set a sentencing date of July 11. Trump could face up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each count, but the judge has wide leeway when imposing a sentence, and could limit the punishment to a fine, probation or home confinement.
