{"slug":"trump-hush-money-cohen-stormy-daniels-conviction","title":"Hush Money: 34 Felony Counts for Falsifying Business Records — Found Guilty","date":"2016-10-27","lastUpdated":"2024-09-18","description":"In May 2024, a Manhattan jury found Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree — the first time a former U.S. president was convicted of a felony. The charges arose from payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal before the 2016 election to suppress their accounts of sexual encounters with Trump. Cohen paid Daniels $130,000; Trump reimbursed him through a series of false invoices and business records. The scheme also involved AMI/National Enquirer's 'catch and kill' arrangement. Trump was sentenced in September 2024.","summary":"The prosecution established that Trump directed Michael Cohen to pay Stormy Daniels $130,000 eleven days before the 2016 election. Trump reimbursed Cohen through a series of false invoices and checks falsely recorded as 'legal expenses' — the 34 counts all arose from these falsified records. The Manhattan DA alleged the falsification was done to conceal the underlying crime of election fraud (influencing an election through unlawful means). The case also documented the AMI/National Enquirer arrangement in which the tabloid bought and suppressed stories from McDougal and others — the 'catch and kill' scheme. Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge on September 18, 2024, but the conviction remained on record.","category":"corruption","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/nyregion/trump-verdict-guilty.html","title":"Trump Found Guilty on All 34 Counts in Hush Money Trial","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/30/trump-trial-verdict/","title":"Trump found guilty on all 34 criminal counts","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-verdict-stormy-daniels-guilty","title":"Trump found guilty in hush money trial","publisher":"The Associated Press"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/nyregion/trump-sentence-hush-money.html","title":"Trump Sentenced to Unconditional Discharge in Hush Money Case","publisher":"The New York Times"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["hush-money","conviction","Stormy-Daniels","Cohen","post-presidency","election-fraud","falsified-records"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2016-10-27","title":"Cohen pays Stormy Daniels $130,000","summary":"Michael Cohen wires $130,000 through shell company Essential Consultants LLC to Stormy Daniels's attorney — eleven days before the 2016 presidential election. The payment secures a non-disclosure agreement."},{"date":"2017-01-01","title":"Trump reimburses Cohen through false invoices","summary":"Trump reimburses Cohen through 11 checks totaling $420,000, accompanied by false invoices describing the payments as 'legal expenses' under a non-existent retainer agreement. This creates the 34 falsified records at the heart of the prosecution."},{"date":"2018-08-21","title":"Cohen pleads guilty to federal campaign finance violations","summary":"Michael Cohen pleads guilty to campaign finance violations and other charges, naming 'Individual-1' (Trump) as directing the payments. The SDNY declines to charge Individual-1 at the time."},{"date":"2024-05-30","title":"Trump found guilty on all 34 counts","summary":"A Manhattan jury finds Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He is the first former U.S. president convicted of a felony."},{"date":"2024-09-18","title":"Trump sentenced to unconditional discharge","summary":"Judge Juan Merchan sentences Trump to an unconditional discharge — no jail, probation, or fine — due to his election as president-elect. The conviction stands."}],"location":{"name":"New York, NY","lat":40.7128,"lng":-74.006},"custom":{"era":"post-presidency","posture":"judicial-finding","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"U.S. electoral process through suppression of information material to voters 11 days before the 2016 election; rule of law through systematic falsification of business records","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"Primary defendant; directed payment scheme and falsified business records; found guilty on all 34 counts","institution":"Trump Organization / post-presidency"},{"name":"Michael Cohen","role":"Trump's longtime personal attorney; made the payment, was reimbursed through false invoices; pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations in 2018","institution":"Trump personal legal team"},{"name":"David Pecker","role":"Former AMI/National Enquirer CEO; non-prosecution agreement; testified about 'catch and kill' arrangement with Trump","institution":"American Media Inc."}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2024-09-18","summary":"Updated with sentencing — unconditional discharge."}]}}