Former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 offences by the jury in his “hush money” trial in New York on Thursday, making him the first former president in US history to be convicted of a crime.
The jury, made up of twelve Manhattan residents, found that Trump illegally falsified company records to cover up a case Payment of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. They found him guilty on all counts second day of deliberations.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president is now also a convicted felon, a label that is being mentioned could resonate with the electorate in the months between now and Election Day in November.
The verdict was handed down in the same Manhattan courtroom where Trump has been on trial for the past six weeks. Staring at each juror as they confirmed their vote for conviction, Trump angrily denounced the decision in the hallway outside the courtroom, vowing to challenge the conviction.
Jurors sided with prosecutors who said Trump authorized the scheme to forge checks and related records in an effort to prevent voters from learning about an alleged sexual encounter with Daniels. Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said the conspiracy spanned his 2016 campaign and continued well into his first year in the White House. Trump denied having sex with Daniels and pleaded not guilty.
Judge Juan Merchan set the sentencing date for July 11, just four days before the start of the Republican National Convention, where Trump will be formally nominated as the party's standard-bearer. He could face a prison sentence of four years and a $5,000 fine for each count, but Merchan has broad discretion in imposing a sentence, and can limit the sentence to a fine, probation, home detention or other options.
The jury asked to review various parts of the testimony and the judge's instructions Thursday morning before hours of closed-door deliberations. Here's how the historic day unfolded, from the moment the jurors alerted the court that they had reached a verdict:
