Donald Trump, the former president of the United States and presumptive Republican nominee, was found guilty on all counts in his New York hush money trial on Thursday, making him the first former president to become a convicted felon.
After a six-week trial and 10 hours of deliberations over two days, the jury, composed of seven men and five women, unanimously determined that Mr. Trump was guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
The case stems from the concealment of a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 election to keep her quiet about an alleged affair.
The payment was made by Mr. Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen. Mr. Trump then reimbursed Mr. Cohen by disguising the repayment as legal fees.
Falsifying business records is typically a misdemeanor in New York, but the charges were elevated to felonies because the records were falsified in furtherance of a second crime, in this case, influencing an election through unlawful means.
Judge Juan Merchan will decide Mr. Trump’s fate in the coming weeks.
Each count carries the possibility of up to four years in prison, but the judge is likely to impose the punishment concurrently.
