The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has issued a 34-count indictment against former US President Donald Trump. As follows from document the former US executive is accused of falsifying business documents in an attempt to conceal incriminating evidence and illegal activities.
According to the agency, Trump was involved in a conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election. Among other things, he may have been involved in illegally paying $130,000 to ‘suppress’ information that could harm to his campaign.
The indictment alleges the former US leader committed the crime of falsifying business records in part to “advance his candidacy”. In addition, the politician is accused of embezzlement for the 2016 presidential campaign.
Also, according to the published document, the company of the ex-president of the United States American Media Inc. paid $30,000 to a former janitor at Trump Tower who claimed to have information about the billionaire’s illegitimate child. The same company then paid $150,000 to a woman who said she had a close relationship with Trump. At the same time, the money was paid through a front company and the documents on the true purpose of the payment were falsified.
Additionally, the indictment alleges that 12 days before the 2016 presidential election, ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen transferred $130,000 to porn actress lawyer Stormy Daniels for silencing a intimate relationship with the future president. As can be seen from the document, the billionaire divided the amount from Cohen into 11 checks and transferred them to him through the Trump Organization. This reimbursement was disguised as legal fees.
All of the charges against Trump are Class E felonies, the lowest felony category in New York State. For each count, the former American president faces up to four years in prison.
Trump’s current attorney, Todd Blanche, said the charges against the politician are devoid of facts and the whole process is politically motivated persecution. The lawyer for the former US president also noted that his client was “disappointed and upset” by the hearing.
The next preliminary hearing in the Trump case will take place on December 4, and the trial itself will begin no earlier than January 2024.
Trump has become the first former US president to face a criminal case. How reported Reuters, the former US leader pleaded not guilty to the crimes charged against him.
On April 4, the former president of the United States arrived in court accompanied by a motorcade of eight cars, before which he went to the office of the district attorney of Manhattan, located in the same building. There, Trump was placed under surveillance until the meeting began.
How transmitted CNN, the billionaire must take his fingerprints and, according to the regulations, take photos. However, well-informed sources in the channel admitted that the ex-president of the United States could avoid this procedure. Trump was not handcuffed.
The former US leader spent around two hours in court. After the charges were filed, he left the building without making any comment to the press, the formal arrest was lifted from him. The former US president is expected to deliver a statement to his supporters in Florida at 2:00 a.m. Moscow time.
