Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool)
Donald Trump, 77, has been convicted of several felony counts in New York City.
Proceedings in the trial began in earnest on the morning of April 22; closing arguments were delivered well into the night on May 28. On Thursday afternoon at 5:06 p.m. EST, after roughly 10 hours of deliberations, 12 jurors, assembled from neighborhoods all over the borough of Manhattan, delivered their historic verdict.
The 45th president forecast the conclusion – correctly – on Wednesday morning after New York County Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan finished off the hour-plus long process of giving jurors their final charge.
“Mother Teresa could not beat these charges, these charges are rigged, the whole thing is rigged,” the since-convicted presidential candidate told a press gaggle outside the New York City Criminal Courthouse at 100 Centre Street.
Trump sat and heard the verdict sheet read aloud – remaining still. The defendant looked straight ahead just before the jury delivered its verdict, according to a report by Law&Crime Network reporter Terri Austin. Trump remained motionless but looked over the jurors as they each confirmed their vote, according to a report by Newsweek reporter Katherine Fung.
In the end, the 45th president was convicted on 34 counts of of New York Penal Law Section 175.10, a felony offense that makes it a crime to falsify business records with the intent to commit or conceal another crime or aid in said commission or concealment.
While the inciting incident in the case was a $130,000 hush-money payment made by Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, 57, to adult content creator Stormy Daniels, 45, in October 2016, the allegations proven had to do with an alleged post-election “cover-up.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg proved the underlying crime was when Trump caused to be forged by signing off on — even personally signing in some cases — 34 different invoices, ledger entries and checks that align with the 34 alleged violations. Those documents all had to do with $420,000 worth of payments made to Cohen throughout 2017. In company records, those payments were marked down as remittances for “legal services.” Both the state and Cohen claim those designations were intentionally incorrect. As it turns out, jurors believed that version of events.
More Law&Crime coverage: ‘You don’t need Michael Cohen to connect these dots’: Hush-money prosecutor minimizes Trump’s former fixer during closing about ‘subversion of democracy’
Legal experts say Trump is unlikely to see jail time over the conviction.
While prison is technically a possibility for the charges, various forces are arrayed in Trump’s favor – general and specific to him – that could keep the ex-president out of a lockup in the five boroughs.
A Class E, non-violent felony is considered the least severe felony under New York law. Likely punishments for first-time offenders – which Trump is – include no jail time at all, probation, or a sentence of between one and four years behind bars.
After the conviction, lead defense attorney Todd Blanche moved for an acquittal notwithstanding the verdict – arguing that the conviction was based on Cohen’s testimony and that there was no evidence linking Trump to any of the charges. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass retorted that there was more than enough evidence to convict.
Merchan quickly denied the motion for acquittal and slated sentencing for July 11. Defense motions on sentencing are due by June 13; the state will have until June 27 to respond. After the proceedings drew to a close, the convicted GOP standard bearer was released on his own recognizance.
More Law&Crime coverage: ‘He’s literally like the MVP of liars’: Defense hammers Michael Cohen’s credibility over admitted and alleged lies during ruthless closing statement in hush-money trial
During his pre-conviction soliloquy, Trump characterized the five-week trial as a politicized weaponization of the criminal justice system in service of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.
“Every single legal scholar, and experts said, this is no case,” Trump said. “It shouldn’t be brought, and it certainly could have been brought seven years ago, not in the middle of a presidential election. It was all done by Joe Biden – this judge contributed to Joe Biden – and far worse than that, but I’m not allowed to talk about it because I have a gag order, but far worse than that. 1,000 times worst than that, the worst I’ve ever but I can’t talk about it. It’ll be talked about, but I’m not allowed to talk about it. But it’ll be talked about in the history books.”
That final line, at least, for one reason or another, certainly rings true.
This is a developing story.
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