Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power
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 less than two weeks 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 January 10, 2025, ten days before his second inauguration; the conviction remains on record. He filed his appeal brief with the Appellate Division in October 2025, and on August 28, 2026 federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein again refused to move the case to federal court on immunity grounds.