Here’s What Happens If Trump Is Convicted—As Trial Goes To Jury Next Week

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

55% : ForbesTrump Won't Testify In Hush Money Trial As Defense Rests CaseBy
52% : Cohen testified for four days during the trial, alleging Trump was personally aware of the payment to Daniels—and that paying her required Trump’s approval—and that the ex-president was aware of the reimbursement scheme and how the checks were being labeled.
49% : Trump then reimbursed Cohen $420,000—adding in a second expense, bonus and money to cover taxes on the payment—through a series of $35,000 checks paid in installments throughout 2017.
41% : Prison is not totally out of the question, though: Attorney Norm Eisen concluded that similar cases for falsifying business records in New York have resulted in prison sentences approximately 10% of the time, based on a review of 10,000 previous cases.
34% : Falsifying business records in the first degree is classified as a class “E” felony under New York law, which is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 per offense and/or up to four years in prison—meaning Trump faces up to $170,000 in fines and 136 years in prison if he were convicted on every count.
34% : Prosecutors cannot appeal the case if the jury fully acquits Trump.
30% : Getty Images Trump faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, based on reimbursement checks he sent to ex-attorney Michael Cohen after the then-lawyer paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to cover up her allegations of an affair with Trump—he has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied Daniels’ allegations.
30% : Trump could not make any attempt to pardon himself in the Manhattan case, given that he would be convicted on state charges and not federal ones.
30% : “THERE IS NO CRIME, which means that the right thing to do is to END THIS SCAM NOW AND FOREVERMORE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday, asking Merchan to throw out the case.
28% : Trump can appeal his case if he’s convicted, and could also ask for any potential prison sentence to be delayed while he appeals the case.
28% : Alison Durkee ForbesTrump's Total Charges Could Result In More Than 700 Years In Prison-Here's Why That's So UnlikelyBy Alison Durkee ForbesHere's How Much Trump's Four Indictments Could Cost Him In Fines If He's ConvictedBy Alison Durkee ForbesWill Trump Go To Prison?
27% : Trump also faces the threat of prison in the case if he violates a gag order against him, which bars him from speaking publicly about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors and other parties in the case.
26% : Legal experts have been skeptical Trump will face any time in prison—let alone the maximum sentence—if he’s convicted, however, believing he would not be sentenced to prison as a first-time offender.
26% : Trump did not end up testifying in his own defense.
24% : Contra If Trump isn’t convicted, prosecutors would only be able to appeal the case if the charges are dropped or if a verdict is set aside, such as if there’s a hung jury that can’t decide unanimously on convicting Trump.
23% : Trump getting convicted won’t have any impact on his ability to run for president in the general election, though he would likely be barred from voting in his home state of Florida as a convicted felon.
22% : Trump could be sentenced to up to 30 days in prison for violations of the order under New York law.
19% : The jury in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial is expected to start deliberating on Wednesday as his trial comes to a close, meaning Trump may become the first former president convicted of a crime as soon as next week depending on their ruling—setting the ex-president up for a potential prison sentence, though legal experts believe that may be unlikely.
19% : Technically there’s nothing stopping Trump from legally serving as president even from prison—though such a scenario remains highly unlikely given the logistics—and The New York Times notes it’s likely Trump would ask to be released from prison in order to fulfill his constitutional duties.
11% : Trump has already violated the order 10 times, and Merchan has threatened to send Trump to prison if he goes against the order again.

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