President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on January 10 in a criminal case in which he was convicted of concealing money paid to a porn star, but the judge stated that Trump is not facing jail time or other penalties, writes Reuters.
Judge Juan Merchan ruled that Trump must appear at the court session just 10 days before the inauguration, an unprecedented scenario in U.S. history: no U.S. president has ever been charged or convicted of a crime before.
The judge said that 78-year-old Trump can appear at the sentencing in person or attend via video link. He also stated that he is not inclined to sentence Trump to imprisonment and that the sentence of 'unconditional release' — without detention, fines, or probation — would be 'the most acceptable decision'.
In a statement, Trump's spokesperson Steven Cheung said that a sentence should not be issued in this case. 'This lawless case should never have been brought, and the Constitution requires that it be immediately dismissed,' Cheung said.
Merchan announced his sentencing plan, rejecting Trump's motion to dismiss the case due to his victory in the presidential election. Trump's lawyers argued that if the case hangs over him during his presidency, it will hinder his ability to govern the country. Merchan dismissed this argument, writing that overturning the jury's verdict would 'immeasurably undermine the rule of law'.
The case is related to the payment of $130,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was made for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter with Trump, which she claims happened a decade earlier.
In May, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the payments. Trump pleaded not guilty and called the case an attempt by Manhattan District Attorney Bragg, a Democrat who brought the charges, to harm his 2024 campaign.
Initially, Trump's sentencing was scheduled for July 11, 2024, but it was postponed several times.
As Reuters writes, falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years in prison, but imprisonment is not mandatory. Before the election victory, legal experts said that Trump was unlikely to end up behind bars due to his advanced age and lack of a criminal record.
Photo: Reuters