Trump Found Guilty of 'Hush Money'... "Possible 4-Year Prison Sentence"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was found guilty on all charges related to the 'hush money for sexual misconduct' scandal.

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On the 30th (local time), according to foreign media including The New York Times (NYT), a jury of 12 Manhattan residents unanimously found Trump guilty on all 34 criminal charges brought against him after deliberating at the New York Manhattan Criminal Court in the afternoon. The jury began deliberations on the case on the 29th. After the verdict was delivered, NYT reported that Trump sat with a blank yet somber expression.

Trump was tried on charges of paying $130,000 (approximately 170 million KRW) through his then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen to suppress Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress, from revealing their sexual encounter, and then falsifying company records to disguise the payment as legal consulting fees.

Prosecutors argued that this trial was not merely about accounting fraud but was an attempt to conceal a separate violation of election laws committed to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, asserting that the charges against Trump constitute felonies. The jury accepted this argument.

Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, set the sentencing date for July 11. This date is four days before the Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to be officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate.

The NYT projected that Trump could face up to four years in prison or probation. However, since Trump is likely to appeal the verdict, it is expected that the case could take several years to reach a final conclusion.

After the jury's verdict, Trump said in front of the courthouse, "This is a disgraceful and rigged trial. The real judgment will be made in the November election."

This is the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been found guilty in a criminal trial. This case is one of four criminal trials in which Trump has been indicted.

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