Former President Donald Trump attended a pre-sentencing hearing Monday with a New York probation officer, a standard procedure for suspects found guilty in criminal cases before being sentenced by a judge. This is Yahoo News’ brief update on the criminal and civil cases against Trump. Here are the latest developments.
🚨 What’s happening today
Trump was interviewed virtually today from his home at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, by a New York parole officer, with the interview lasting less than 30 minutes. The former president was accompanied by Todd Blanche, the lead attorney in his New York criminal trial that resulted in guilty verdicts on 34 felony counts of falsifying company records. The findings of the interview will be presented to Judge Juan Merchan to help him decide what sentence to impose on the former president and current presumptive Republican presidential nominee on July 11.
🔬Zoom in: What was discussed
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The pre-sentencing interview was conducted by a female probation officer, NBC News reported, and took place over a secure video network connection.
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Normally such interviews are not conducted with an attorney present, but Merchan agreed to let Blanche be present, and prosecutors had no objection.
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Although Trump is one of the most famous suspects in American history, the purpose of the pre-sentencing interview is to gather information about a suspect’s prior criminal history and other factors, such as health information, that Merchan might consider before sentencing pronounces his sentence.
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The judge will have discretion when it comes to determining Trump’s sentence. Each guilty charge in the trial carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison, but if Merchan chooses prison, each guilty charge will likely be served concurrently. However, most experts believe Trump will avoid jail time and Merchan will sentence him to fines and probation.
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Other sentencing factors that could come into play include Trump’s age, the fact that he is a first-time criminal offender, and his continued violations of the silence order that Merchan implemented and remains in effect.
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Trump has continued to blast the judge, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and President Biden for bringing what he described as a politically motivated case against him.
🗓 What’s next?
After the interview is submitted to Merchan, the judge will decide on Trump’s sentence and announce it on July 11 at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York.
