No punishment, save conviction, in Trump secret money case – DW – 01/10/2025
A New York state court has sentenced US President-elect Donald Trump to a criminal conviction related to hush money payments to a porn star in connection with an alleged sexual encounter.
Trump was not sentenced, claiming the charges were politically motivated, although the conviction was upheld.
Prior to sentencing, Judge Juan Merchan indicated that he intended to impose a sentence of “unconditional release”, meaning there would be no parole requirements to meet or fines to be paid.
It culminated in the first criminal case brought against an American president in the country’s history.
Trump appeared at the hearing virtually and addressed the court, calling it a “very horrible experience” and saying no crime was committed.
He intends to appeal against the conviction.
no jail sentence
The sentencing comes after the US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a last-minute bid to halt the trial of Trump, who is scheduled to be sworn into his country’s highest office on January 20.
Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the six-week trial last year, had indicated he did not plan to give Trump a prison sentence or a fine.
The criminal conviction will remain on Trump’s permanent record. He would become the first person to hold the US presidency to be convicted of a felony.
What was Trump’s conviction?
The billionaire businessman turned politician was charged in March 2023 by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, with a cover-up related to money secretly paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump appeared before a Manhattan court to answer to 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 (€126,181) sum paid to Daniels by his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
The money was allegedly given to secure his silence before the 2016 election – which Trump won – about an alleged sexual encounter he had with her in 2006.
Trump has denied the incident and argued that the case, along with three other criminal indictments and civil lawsuits related to other allegations, were an attempt by his political opponents to weaponize the justice system against him.
However, the jury found him guilty on all 34 counts on 30 May.
Falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years in prison.
Other cases dropped
The hush-money case has been the only criminal case against Trump to be prosecuted, with his lawyers mounting a flurry of legal challenges.
Federal prosecutors have dismissed two cases accusing Trump of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and retaining classified documents after leaving the White House.
The decision was made in view of the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president, which Trump is set to resume soon.
The remaining state case, brought over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state of Georgia, has been suspended after a court in December disqualified the lead prosecutor, Fani Willis.
Trump has also faced civil cases, including being found liable for sexual assault in two civil defamation suits brought by journalist E. Jean Carroll. They were awarded a total of $88.4 million (€83.6 million) in damages.
Trump has appealed against both decisions.
tj, kb/msh (Reuters, AP, AFP)
