President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts that carry a 136 year max sentence.
The Manhattan District Attorney announced Tuesday that he’s facing charges related to payments made towards the end of his campaign to two women, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. According to the indictment, Trump orchestrated a “catch and kill” scheme to purchase negative information about himself to suppress its publication and boost his electoral prospects.
During his campaign, Trump allegedly paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her quiet about an alleged affair she had with him. The payment is believed to have been paid by his then-personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
But while it’s not uncommon for a defendant to face criminal charges when making payments like these, experts say the defendant may be unlikely to serve time in prison.
That’s because New York law calls falsification of business records a misdemeanor, but elevates it to a felony when done in conjunction with another crime.
So the indictment alleges that from August 2015 to December 2017, Trump “knowingly and intentionally” hid hush money payments by falsely making entries in his company’s business records. The records alleged to contain falsified entries include invoices from Cohen, check stubs and cheques for payments to Daniels and McDougal.
On Tuesday, Trump pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. His upcoming court appearance is scheduled for December 4th. The case could come down to whether Trump was acting on his own when paying Daniels or if Cohen was really the one who did it.
