Trump will have a probation interview on Monday

Donald Trump will sit down for a virtual interview with a probation officer from his home in Florida on Monday, as part of the sentencing process for his felony conviction in the New York secret money case.

The first former US president to be criminally convicted, Trump will appear from Mar-a-Lago and will be seated alongside his lawyer Todd Blanche, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

A New York City probation officer will use the interview in a pre-sentencing report for Judge Juan Merchan, who is currently deciding what punishment Trump should receive.

Trump was convicted last month of 34 counts of falsifying business records and is scheduled to be sentenced July 11.

A former commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections and Probation told NBC News it's not normal for a probation interview to be conducted virtually.

“It is very unusual for a pre-sentence investigative interview to be conducted via Zoom,” Martin Horn said.

But he added that any Trump visit to the downtown Manhattan courthouse would be “very disruptive” to other court cases, especially given the presence of the Secret Service and media, and could be unfair to others accused who may not want to be identified. .

“So ultimately it might be better for the probation officer,” he said.

Convicts in New York's court system generally do not have their attorneys present for probation interviews, according to the Associated Press.

However, Judge Merchan allowed Mr Blanche to appear alongside his client on Monday.

Pre-sentence reports include information about a convict's personal life, criminal history, financial means, health, and overall living conditions.

They are used by the judge to indicate the sentence to be imposed.

The interview is often an opportunity for the convicted person to plead in favor of the leniency of the sentence.

Jurors found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to conceal secret payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

Most legal commentators believe Trump is unlikely to receive any prison time, given his lack of criminal history and his age.

Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. He has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that the lawsuits in New York were politically motivated and aimed at preventing him from taking back the White House in the November election.

He also announced that he would appeal this conviction.