A New York jury convicted former president Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in regards to “hush money” payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election. The conviction makes Trump the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime.
Trump was officially charged with falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election, which he ended up winning. Given the size of the payment, the falsification charges were upgraded to felonies.
Donald Trump’s Sentencing
Now that he has been found guilty, Trump has been ordered to appear for sentencing on July 11. His crimes carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, but it seems incredibly unlikely that Trump will spend the next four years behind bars. If he receives a sentence at all we can expect a short one, and it seems more likely that a fine and probation will be in order.
However, it also seems very unlikely that he’ll be sentenced on July 11. Trump is well known for mounting lengthy appeals of court decisions that do not go in his favor, and there’s no reason to think this case will be any different. Odds are the appeal would significantly delay Trump’s sentencing, which could push sentencing well beyond the 2024 presidential election.
Can Donald Trump Still Run For President?
Although the ruling currently means that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, that won’t render him ineligible to run for president. Surprisingly, there are only three qualifications needed in order to be eligible to run for president in the US. Those are:
- Be at least 35 years old
- Be a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
- Be a “natural born” citizen
There is no requirement that states that the president cannot be a convicted felon, so from that angle, Trump is in the clear. How the verdict will impact his voter base, or perhaps more importantly, potential swing voters, remains to be seen.
As for what’s next, don’t expect Trump to appear in court for that scheduled sentencing on July 11. The appeal’s process will almost certainly push that back, and it’s unlikely to be resolved prior to the election. And for Trump, his status as a convicted felon would not deter him from voting for himself should he move forward with his presidential campaign in November, as Florida, where Trump is registered to vote, allows convicted felons to do so.
If you need help developing a defense for your porn star hush money trial, or something more run-of-the-mill, consider giving Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm a call today at (952) 224-2277.
