Former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 crimes by a jury Thursday in his “hush money” trial in New York, a momentous decision that makes him the first former president in American history to be convicted of a crime.
The twelve New Yorkers who made up the jury found that Trump broke the law by falsifying company records to cover up a case. Payment of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. They found him guilty on all counts at the end of their second day of deliberations.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president is now also a convicted felon.
The verdict was handed down in the same Manhattan courtroom where Trump has been on trial for the past six weeks. Trump stared at each juror as they confirmed their vote for conviction. He angrily denounced the decision in the hallway outside the courtroom and vowed to challenge the conviction.
Jurors sided with prosecutors who said Trump authorized the scheme to forge checks and related records in an effort to prevent voters from learning about an alleged sexual encounter with Daniels. Prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the conspiracy spanned his 2016 campaign and continued well into his first year in the White House. Trump denied having sex with Daniels and pleaded not guilty.
Judge Juan Merchan set the sentencing date for July 11. Trump could face a prison sentence of four years and a $5,000 fine for each count, but Merchan has wide leeway in imposing a sentence and could limit the punishment to a fine, probation or home detention.
CBS News has reporters at the courthouse where the verdict was read. Follow live updates below:
