Donald Trump has become the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
was found guilty by a Manhattan jury Thursday on all 34 counts in the criminal case related to an alleged hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.Latest updates from Donald Trump's hush money trial
"The entire purpose of this meeting at Trump Tower was...to manipulate and defraud the voters, to pull the wool over their eyes in a coordinated fashion," Manhattan prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told jurors during his closing statement about the alleged scheme. Trump later reimbursed Cohen in 2017 by making a series of $35,000 payments, labeled in business records as legal expenses pursuant to a retainer agreement.Prosecutors alleged that Trump's description of the payments disguised their true purpose so voters would never learn about the hush-money payment, though a 2018 Wall Street Journal report uncovered the payment.
Trump himself was referenced in Cohen's indictment as "Individual-1" who directed him to make the payments, but federal prosecutors opted to not charge Trump due to a longstanding guidance against indicting sitting presidents. At the time, the case appeared dead in the water, but Bragg shook up his legal team and found success in the prosecution of the Trump Organization for a 15-year tax fraud scheme and a guilty plea from Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg. By 2023, a new case theory centered on the testimony of Michael Cohen emerged, and prosecutors successfully convinced a grand jury to indict the former president.
Prosecutors first called Pecker, who went into detail about the catch-and-kill agreement he made with Trump and Cohen during and after the 2016 campaign. "I told very few people that we had actually had sex because I felt ashamed that I didn't stop it, that I didn't say no," Daniels told jurors. Specifically, he accused Cohen of lying about a phone call he said he had with Donald Trump on Oct. 24, 2016, showing phone records that indicated Cohen called Trump's bodyguard.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump Media shares tumble after Donald Trump found guilty on 34 felony countsShares of Trump Media fell in extended trading after the company's largest stockholder, former President Donald Trump, was convicted of 34 felony counts.
Read more »
TRUMP token recovers from nasty dip after Donald Trump guilty verdictThe price of meme coin MAGA (TRUMP) fell sharply after Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts, but has since recovered.
Read more »
Trump conviction: What to know about Donald Trump's guilty verdictDonald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts marks the end of his historic hush money trial but the fight over the case is far from over. Now comes the sentencing and the prospect of a prison sentence. A lengthy appellate process.
Read more »
Donald Trump found guilty in historic New York hush money caseAdam Reiss is a reporter and producer for NBC and MSNBC.
Read more »
Donald Trump found guilty on all counts in New York hush money trialA jury has convicted Donald Trump of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Read more »
Donald Trump found guilty in New York hush money trialA Manhattan jury found him guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records to cover up a payoff to a porn star.
Read more »