Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to face sentencing on January 10 after being convicted in a hush money case.
Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from alleged efforts to conceal payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign.
The conviction, delivered by a New York jury in May, confirmed allegations that Trump engaged in fraudulent activities to prevent potentially harmful revelations from affecting his presidential bid.
Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over the trial, indicated that Trump would not face jail time.
Instead, alternative sentencing measures could be imposed. This decision aligns with New York State’s legal practices, where imprisonment is rare for those convicted of falsifying business records.
The charges arose from payments made to silence allegations of personal misconduct, commonly referred to as “hush money.”
Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, facilitated payments to individuals claiming to have had intimate encounters with Trump.
Cohen, who later turned against Trump, played a key role in the trial, providing testimony that detailed the alleged cover-up.
Prosecutors argued that Trump orchestrated the falsification of business records to hide these payments, violating campaign finance laws. This conviction highlights the legal challenges Trump faces as a contentious figure in American politics.
The sentencing comes just before Trump is set to return to office as President following a recent election victory.