Trump guilty of faking business records
Ex-United States President, Donald Trump is convicted by a New York jury on all charges in a hush-money case on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
Trump made history as the first former U.S. president to be tried for a criminal offense. The 77-year-old billionaire was found guilty on each of the 34 counts of falsifying business records.
This landmark development comes six months before the next presidential election, in which Trump aims to challenge incumbent Joe Biden for a return to the White House.
He was accused of orchestrating a scheme to cover up “hush money” payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in the days leading up to the 2016 election.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, just four days before the start of the Republican National Convention on July 15, where Trump is expected to be formally nominated for president.
Despite the conviction, which has pushed the U.S. into uncharted political territory, Trump remains eligible to run in the November 15 election, even if Judge Juan Merchan sentences him to prison.
The 12-member jury reached a verdict after 11 hours of deliberation over two days, concluding an extraordinary five-week trial. Trump was found guilty of falsifying records to reimburse his now-estranged lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 payment to Daniels, intended to buy her silence about an alleged affair that could have been politically damaging in 2016.
