Forty-two percent of people convicted of falsifying business records in New York in the last decade were sentenced to time in jail or prison, a new study from The New York Times found. In Manhattan specifically, that number is closer to one-third, the outlet’s analysis showed.
A Manhattan jury convicted Trump in May of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in connection with a scheme to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels , whose story about having sex with Trump threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign.
On November 26 — three weeks after election day — the former president is set to be sentenced in Manhattan criminal court by Judge Juan Merchan. Trump could face several years in jail. Alternatively, he could be handed probation, community service, a fine or some combination of those options.
Donald Trump in Manhattan criminal court. He is set to be sentenced on November 26, three weeks after election day (Getty Images)
If he wins the election, Trump would almost certainly avoid any jail time for the next four years, and his sentencing could be postponed indefinitely, the Times reports.
If he’s not elected, Trump’s lawyers will likely argue that he should be given a lenient sentence without jail time because of his age – 78 – and the fact that he is a first-time, non-violent offender, according to the Times .
Meanwhile, if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg seeks jail time for Trump, he could argue for the sentence by highlighting the former president’s other recent legal troubles, the Times reports.
Trump also faces charges in Washington, DC, and Fulton County, Georgia, both related to the 2020 election.
In the nation’s capital, Trump is accused of trying to overthrow the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won. He faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding and deprivation of civil rights under color of law.
In Georgia, Trump and more than a dozen of his allies were charged in a similar case, with prosecutors claiming they tried to subvert the state’s 2020 election results.
In all his cases, the former president has denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement, the Trump campaign said: “There should be no sentencing in this Election Interference Witch Hunt. As mandated by the United States Supreme Court, this case, along with all of the other Harris - Biden Hoaxes, should be dismissed.”
The Independent has contacted the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Trump campaign for comment.
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