In a historic verdict, former US President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money scheme, marking him as the first ex-president to be convicted of a felony. The conviction was reported by a TASS correspondent.
The New York jury, consisting of seven men and five women, deliberated for approximately 11 hours over the course of two days before reaching a unanimous decision on each count.
The verdict was reached following a trial that captured international attention, with deliberations beginning on May 29.
The sentencing has been scheduled for July 11 at 10:00 a.m. local time, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump is expected to be nominated as the Republican presidential candidate.
Despite the jury's decision, Trump continued to assert his innocence and criticized the verdict as politically motivated.
"This was done by the Biden administration to hurt a political opponent. It's a disgrace, and we will keep fighting till the end because our country has gone to hell," Trump stated to reporters outside the courtroom.
He also labeled the trial as "rigged" and questioned the impartiality of Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the case. Trump vowed to continue fighting for the constitution and the country.
The case against Trump was sparked by a January 2018 Wall Street Journal article that revealed his lawyer Michael Cohen paid porn star Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 to remain silent about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump ten years prior to the 2016 presidential election.
While Cohen was tried in 2018 for violating campaign finance laws among other charges, Trump was not charged at the time due to presidential immunity.
However, in November 2022, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office initiated a new investigation into the allegations, leading to Trump's indictment on April 4, 2023.
Investigators claim Trump reimbursed Cohen through the Trump Organization as payment for legal fees, leading to the current charges.
