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Jury returns with verdict in Trump money laundering trial
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s reporting on Donald Trumphistorical criminal trial for money in secret.
A jury of 12 people living in Manhattan – seven men and five women – has finished deliberating and reached a verdict in the first criminal case against a former US president.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents, charges punishable by up to four years in prison. They are here the full details of what 34 points areaccording to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
If Trump is found guilty, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee faces the prospect of prison — though unlikely — when he is convicted. He pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
Trump also faces three other criminal cases: one for trying to influence the 2020 election in Georgia, another for his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and a third involving his handling of sensitive documents after he left the White House . Those other three cases have been adjourned and are unlikely to conclude before the November election.
The criminal trial against Trump for money in secret: what should I know
We are in court today and will bring you the verdicts when they come in. Stay with us.
Key events
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg entered the courtroom.
Before the jury began deliberations late Wednesday morning, Judge Juan Mercan supplied instructions intended to guide them in how to weigh the case.
Murchan said jurors should not view his comments during the trial as suggesting that Donald Trump was innocent or guilty. He said:
It is not my responsibility to weigh the evidence here. You are the judges of the facts.
Murchan also told jurors they shouldn’t consider Trump possibly going to prison when they reach their verdict. He said:
You may not speculate on matters related to the sentence or punishment.
The judge noted that it was “my responsibility” to determine the possible sentence – not the jury’s.
Who is Judge Juan Mercan?
When the verdict is out Donald Trumpcriminal trial for hush money, all eyes will be on the Manhattan judge Juan Mercan, who presided over the historic affair.
After all, Trump is the first US president, past or present, to face a criminal trial. And before Trump faces a jury in that case, Murchan is presiding over other proceedings directly related to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Those cases include the tax fraud trial against the Trump Organization and the proceeding against the company’s former CFO Alan Weiselberg. Murchan will also lead the case against Steve Bannon over allegations that Trump’s far-right strategist defrauded thousands who donated to build parts of the US-Mexico border wall, scheduled for trial in September.
Murchan, who was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and immigrated to the United States at the age of six, grew up in the Queens borough of New York. The first in his family to attend college, he started working at the age of nine and held various positions, such as hotel night manager, during his studies, according to the New York Times.
Murchan’s previous high-profile cases include proceedings against a ‘madam soccer mom’ Anna Gristina. He also presides over the Manhattan Mental Health Court, where defendants involved agree to undergo closely monitored treatment in order to have their cases dismissed, avoid future encounters with the justice system and gain support, The Associated Press said.
Read the full profile: Who Is Juan Murchan, The Judge In Trump’s Hush Money Criminal Trial?
The jury is asking for more time to complete the verdict forms
a judge Juan Mercanreading a memo signed at 4:20 p.m. ET said the jury had reached a verdict.
The jury requested an additional 30 minutes to fill out verdict forms, Murchan said.
If guilty, what will be Trump’s punishment?
Sam Levin
If a Manhattan jury convicts Donald Trump on any of the 34 counts of falsifying business records in the hush money case, the immediate next question will be what punishment the former president should receive.
This is a decision that depends entirely on Juan Mercan, the judge overseeing the case. The crime Trump is charged with, falsifying business records in the first degree, is a class E felony in New York, the lightest category and is punishable by up to four years in prison.
But Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to prison if convicted, experts say. He is a first time offender and the offense he is charged with is a non-violent paper offense. Any punishment will likely consist of fines, probation, community service, or a combination thereof.
Much may depend on how Murchan interprets Trump’s behavior, including his lack of remorse.
A jury would not be able to convict Trump of a felony — for falsifying business records, but not in furtherance of another underlying crime. Trump’s lawyers could have asked Murchan to give the jury that option, but they didn’t.
Both prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers will present sentencing recommendations. So will the probation service, who will compile a confidential report for the judge before sentencing. It’s unclear exactly how long it will take for Merchan to issue a ruling, but it’s likely to take several months.
Jury returns with verdict in Trump money laundering trial
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s reporting on Donald Trumphistorical criminal trial for money in secret.
A jury of 12 people living in Manhattan – seven men and five women – has finished deliberating and reached a verdict in the first criminal case against a former US president.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents, charges punishable by up to four years in prison. They are here the full details of what 34 points areaccording to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
If Trump is found guilty, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee faces the prospect of prison — though unlikely — when he is convicted. He pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
Trump also faces three other criminal cases: one for trying to influence the 2020 election in Georgia, another for his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and a third involving his handling of sensitive documents after he left the White House . Those other three cases have been adjourned and are unlikely to conclude before the November election.
The criminal trial against Trump for money in secret: what should I know
We are in court today and will bring you the verdicts when they come in. Stay with us.
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