Trump Found Guilty of 34 Counts Falsifying Business Records
A jury verdict has been reached in the case of People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump.
There were 34 counts to be read, and he was found guilty on all charges of falsifying business records. The charges involve a series of incidents and conversations that took place when Trump ran in 2016 for what became a successful election attempt to the White House.
Sentencing has been set for 10 a.m. July 11. Trump will remain released on his own recognizance until then, the judge said.
The jury sent a note about 4:20 p.m. to the court, asking for about a half hour to fill out the forms. Judge Juan Merchan and others then returned to the courtroom.
Closing arguments were given Tuesday; jury instructions were given Wednesday morning. The jury asked for a re-reading of certain testimony at one point, then they remained in deliberations until sending a note that they had reached a verdict.
Trump was ordered to stay in the area while deliberations were in progress, and waited in a separate area from the jury.
After the verdict was read, the judge told the jurors “You were engaged in a very stressful and difficult task,” thanking them for their “dedication and hard work.”
Background on the Case
The hush money case, formally known as People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, was the first of four criminal investigations pending against the former president to go to trial. The other cases, involving other accusations, are in various stages of delays or appeals.
The New York trial took about four weeks, with on and off and on schedule based on availability of the judge and schedule conflicts for those involved in the case. Jury selection was completed April 18; alternates were picked April 19. The key witnesses for the prosecution were Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.
Trump ran for a second term for the White House in 2020, but lost to President Joe Biden. He is currently the leading Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential race.
The Gag Order
Judge Juan M. Merchan issued a gag order on March 26 ahead of the trial, barring Donald Trump from making public statements about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in the case.
A New York appeals court denied and dismissed Trump’s appeal of the gag order, finding that Merchan properly determined the former president’s public statements “posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses.”
On April 30, Trump was fined $9,000 after the judge ruled on a series of gag order violation allegations. Then on May 6, the judge issued another $1,000 fine on a gag order violation allegation.
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