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Hush Money: 34 Felony Counts for Falsifying Business Records — Found Guilty

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.

Record summary

Grade

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, circumvent statutory constraints, or weaponize government institutions for political ends. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Incident date
Record updated
Location
New York, NY
Category
Corruption & Self-Dealing
Legal posture
Judicial finding
War-crime classification
Enabling conduct
Verification
Independently verified
ICC relevance
No
Sources
4 cited
Stable ID
trump-hush-money-cohen-stormy-daniels-conviction
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
Alleged responsible parties
  • Donald Trump, Primary defendant; directed payment scheme and falsified business records; found guilty on all 34 counts— Trump Organization / post-presidency
  • Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney; made the payment, was reimbursed through false invoices; pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations in 2018— Trump personal legal team
  • David Pecker, Former AMI/National Enquirer CEO; non-prosecution agreement; testified about 'catch and kill' arrangement with Trump— American Media Inc.

Key points

  • On May 30, 2024, a Manhattan jury of 12 found Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree — making him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony
  • The payment was $130,000 wired by Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels's attorney on October 27, 2016 — eleven days before the election; the payment was made through a shell company (Essential Consultants LLC) to obscure the source
  • Trump reimbursed Cohen through a series of 11 checks, most signed by Trump personally, totaling $420,000 (the reimbursement plus a 'bonus' plus additional payments); each check was accompanied by a false invoice describing the payment as 'legal expenses' under a retainer agreement that did not exist
  • David Pecker, former AMI/National Enquirer CEO, testified about the 'catch and kill' arrangement: AMI would pay for exclusive rights to damaging stories about Trump and then kill them; AMI bought Karen McDougal's story for $150,000 and suppressed it; AMI also paid $30,000 for a doorman's false claim about Trump fathering a child
  • Trump was sentenced on September 18, 2024, to an unconditional discharge — meaning no jail time, probation, or fine — given his status as president-elect; Judge Merchan cited the unique circumstances but noted the conviction stood
  • Michael Cohen had already pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign finance violations for the same payment, and was named as 'Individual-1' in that case, meaning the SDNY had previously concluded Trump (as Individual-1) was an unindicted co-conspirator in Cohen's federal case

Overview

On May 30, 2024, a jury of 12 New Yorkers found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. He became the first former president in U.S. history to be convicted of a felony.

The crime was not complicated. He paid a woman to stay quiet before an election. He disguised the payment as legal fees. He lied about it on paper 34 times.

The Payment

On October 27, 2016 — eleven days before the election — Michael Cohen wired $130,000 to Stormy Daniels's attorney through a shell company called Essential Consultants LLC. The money bought her silence about a sexual encounter she described having with Trump in 2006.

The payment came after similar arrangements had been made with Karen McDougal (through the National Enquirer's "catch and kill" operation), after the Access Hollywood tape had already damaged the campaign, and at the moment when any additional story about Trump's conduct with women would have been maximally harmful.

The Falsification

The 34 counts did not arise from the payment itself — they arose from how Trump concealed it. He reimbursed Cohen through 11 checks (most signed personally) totaling $420,000, each accompanied by a false invoice describing the money as legal expenses under a retainer agreement that did not exist.

Each false invoice and each corresponding business record was a count. Thirty-four counts.

The "Catch and Kill" System

David Pecker — former CEO of American Media Inc., which owns the National Enquirer — testified about the arrangement he had maintained with Trump for years. AMI would identify damaging stories, pay for exclusive rights, and then kill them. Karen McDougal's story about an affair with Trump cost AMI $150,000. A doorman's fabricated story about Trump fathering a child cost $30,000. None were published.

The Stormy Daniels payment was different only in that Cohen paid it personally when AMI declined.

Update log

  1. Updated with sentencing — unconditional discharge.

Sequence of events

  1. Cohen pays Stormy Daniels $130,000

    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.

  2. Trump reimburses Cohen through false invoices

    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.

  3. Cohen pleads guilty to federal campaign finance violations

    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.

  4. Trump found guilty on all 34 counts

    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.

  5. Trump sentenced to unconditional discharge

    Judge Juan Merchan sentences Trump to an unconditional discharge — no jail, probation, or fine — due to his election as president-elect. The conviction stands.

Sources

  1. Trump Found Guilty on All 34 Counts in Hush Money Trial — The New York Times
  2. Trump found guilty on all 34 criminal counts — The Washington Post
  3. Trump found guilty in hush money trial — The Associated Press
  4. Trump Sentenced to Unconditional Discharge in Hush Money Case — The New York Times

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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