President-elect Donald Trump is Set to Be Sentenced on Charges of Business Fraud
President-elect Donald Trump is set to be sentenced today on charges of business fraud related to a hush money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
Trump was first indicted in March 2023 on state charges and was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree by 12 jurors in May 2024. Prosecutors alleged that Trump was part of an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and was part of an unlawful plan to suppress negative information and overpay his then-lawyer Michael Cohen to reimburse a $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels.
In November 2024, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office agreed to delay Trump’s sentencing to allow time for anticipated litigation around his expected motion to dismiss the case. Trump’s motion to dismiss the case was later rejected by Judge Juan Merchan, who upheld the conviction and set a sentencing hearing for January 10, 2025.
Trump is set to be sworn in as president in less than two weeks and is still scheduled to be sentenced today, but the case appears to be essentially over, according to Judge Merchan.
