A New York judge is expected to say Friday when former President Donald Trump will be sentenced for falsifying business records to hide “hush money” payments to an adult film star.
Trump has Tried to delay sentence twice After his conviction in May by a unanimous jury 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
He was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, but Justice Juan Murch changed that date to September 18. Pushed back until Trump motioned for a judge to set aside his conviction. Trump cited a Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have immunity for “official acts” and that evidence related to presidential work cannot be included in criminal trials.
Murchan has said he will rule on Trump’s request to set aside the jury’s verdict on Sept. 16, two days before the currently scheduled sentencing.
In August, Trump asked that the sentencing date be pushed back even further — after the presidential election. Trump’s lawyers said another adjournment would give his team time to appeal if Merchan rejects their request to plead guilty.
While awaiting Merchan’s decision, Trump also took another route to delaying the sentencing. He asked a federal judge to take over the case, claiming it belonged in federal court. federal judge That request was denied on WednesdayAnd Trump appealed.
On Thursday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s attorney informed the appeals court that Merchan would announce his decision on sentencing tomorrow.
“The judge has now informed the parties that a decision will be made tomorrow,” Bragg’s lawyer wrote.
Prosecutors said Trump signed off on a scheme days before the 2016 presidential election to conceal payments to a lawyer who paid adult film star Stormi Daniels $130,000 in “hush money.” Trump denied the encounter and pleaded not guilty.
Merchan has wide latitude in determining Trump’s sentence. The charges carry a maximum sentence of four years in prison, but since this is Trump’s first conviction, Merchan could also hand down a sentence that includes a variety of prison options, including probation.
Graham Cates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] Or [email protected]
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