Is Trump going to jail? What you need to know about the possible sentence after conviction

Washington- Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all charges at his “hush money” trial in New York on Thursday, and the judge will soon determine whether a former president should be jailed for the first time for a crime.

Trump was found guilty of falsify business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence before the 2016 presidential election. The jury in Manhattan delivered his guilty verdict after a six-week trial that included more than 20 witnesses.

Each of the 34 criminal charges carries a $5,000 fine and up to four years in prison. But whether Trump will go to prison is another question — one that depends on the judge when sentencing.

When will Trump be convicted?

The judge set a sentencing date for July 11 following the jury's verdict Thursday.

The timeline is consistent with similar white-collar crime cases, where sentencing often occurs between three and eight weeks after sentencing, according to Dan Horwitz, a defense attorney who previously prosecuted white-collar cases for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

The sentencing will take place four days before the start of the Republican National Convention.

What to expect from sentencing

The minimum sentence for first-degree falsification of business records is zero, so Trump could receive probation or parole, no prison time or up to four years for each offense. Trump would likely be ordered to serve prison time concurrently on each count, up to four years in total.

“The judge could sentence him to between zero and the maximum,” Horwitz said. “So he could sentence him to a period of months in prison, he could sentence him to a period of several weeks in prison, he could sentence him to a sentence where he would be obliged, for example, to go to prison every weekend- end for a period of time, then serve the remainder of the sentence on probation.”

In an analysis of comparable cases brought by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Norm Eisen, who wrote a book on the 2020 election-related federal indictment against Trump and served as special counsel in the first filing indictment of the former president, found that about 10% of cases ended up in prison. But the circumstances of the case make any overall comparison difficult.

Trump could also be sentenced to house arrest, where he would wear an ankle bracelet and be monitored rather than going to prison. Horwitz suggested that a sentence of home detention, which is halfway between no punishment and a stay in state prison, might be the most likely outcome. It would also respond to Trump's unusual security and political situation.

A house arrest sentence would also allow Trump to continue his campaign – albeit virtually – with the ability to hold press conferences and remain active on social media. Throughout the trial, Judge Juan Merchan stressed the importance of allowing Trump to campaign and exercise his First Amendment rights as he seeks another term in the White House. But this is only part of the equation that the judge must take into account in his decision.

What will the judge consider when sentencing Trump?

There are a number of factors the court may consider in determining punishment, including the nature and extent of the conduct, who was injured, whether there were victims, and whether responsibility was accepted. , Horwitz said. Trump has repeatedly denied any culpability in the matter.

“Courts will credit a defendant who pleads guilty by accepting responsibility for his conduct, as opposed to not accepting responsibility before trial and being found guilty,” Horwitz added, arguing that “punishment after a trial because you have not accepted the responsibility is heavier.” stricter than it would otherwise have been. »

A defendant's conduct during trial may also play a role, so Trump's repeated violation of Merchan's rules gag order may be an important factor in his conviction. During the trial, Trump was accused more than a dozen times of violating a silence order preventing him from making public comments about likely witnesses, jurors, attorneys and court personnel involved in the affair.

Trump's conviction could also be complicated by the lifetime Secret Service protection he enjoys as a former president. The issue was raised during the trial, when the judge found Trump in contempt violate a gag order. Although Trump was fined several times, the judge said jailing him was “the last thing I wanted to do” because it would have disrupted the trial and presented challenges for Secret Service agents charged with protecting the former president.

“Today's outcome has no bearing on how the United States Secret Service carries out its protective mission,” the Secret Service said in a statement provided to CBS News after the verdict. “Our security measures will remain unchanged.”