By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump said on Monday he would be interviewed by a probation officer ahead of his sentencing next month on his historic conviction on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star.
In a fundraising email to supporters, the Republican presidential candidate wrote: “I’m about to speak to a probation officer after my WRONG CONVICTION!” Trump did not say when the meeting would take place.
In the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president, a Manhattan jury last month found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over her silence before the 2016 election. election about a sexual encounter they said they had ten years earlier.
Trump denies the meeting and has vowed to appeal the verdict after his July 11 sentencing hearing at the Justice Department Juan Merchan. Trump has called the suit, filed by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a partisan effort to disrupt his campaign.
A probation officer’s report is intended to give the judge a holistic view of a suspect’s living conditions and background to help decide whether prison or an alternative such as probation is appropriate, said Duncan Levin, a New York attorney and former Manhattan district attorney.
In a typical interview, the officer will ask suspects about their family, childhood circumstances, immigration status, and any drug use to compile a report to give judges context that may not have come to light earlier in the case.
Such details are less relevant in this case because Trump’s biographical details are already public knowledge, Levin said.
“The judge is already well informed as to who this particular defendant is,” Levin said.
The probation officer’s recommendation is just one factor that judges consider when determining sentences for criminal defendants. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are also proposing punishments.
Merchan signed an order Friday allowing Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche to be present during the interview. That’s common, Levin said.
For defendants convicted of falsifying company records in the past, punishments such as probation or fines are most common, but prison sentences are not unprecedented.
One factor Merchan could take into account is Trump’s decision to take his case to court. While any criminal suspect has the right to do this, judges often look favorably on people who admit guilt and show remorse.
Trump also faces three other criminal charges stemming from efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden and his handling of sensitive government documents after leaving the White House in 2021. He has pleaded not guilty in those cases, and none of them are likely. to stand trial before the November 5 elections.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell)
