Former President Donald Trump faces 34 criminal charges in the secret New York trial, which is expected to end next week.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump in April 2023 with 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records. According to the indictment, 11 checks were issued from the Trump Revocable Trust and his personal bank account “for false purposes.”
“Each check was processed by the Trump Organization and illegally disguised as payment for legal services provided under a non-existent retainer agreement,” the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.
“In total, 34 false entries were made in New York business records to conceal the secret initial payment of $130,000,” prosecutors said, referring to the $130,000 payment Michael Cohen made to the movie star adult Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about her allegation. of a sexual encounter with Trump.
Prosecutors say the “catch and kill” scheme involved 11 forged invoices, 12 falsified general ledger entries and 11 checks falsely recording hush money payments to Cohen as a “retainer.”
Falsifying business records in the first degree is a class E felony, which can result in a prison sentence of more than one year and up to four years per count. However, if Trump is convicted, he will be considered a non-violent first-time offender and therefore cannot be sentenced to prison. Other punishments can include probation and fines of up to $5,000.
Attorney Norm Eisen wrote in April that an analysis he conducted of the most recent data shows that one in 10 cases of falsifying business records results in arrest.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
