US President-elect Donald Trump has been sentenced to “unconditional discharge” in the hush money case on Friday, meaning he will avoid jail time, fines or probation. Trump was convicted last year for falsifying business records tied to a $130,000 payoff to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Despite the historic conviction, Judge Juan M Merchan has indicated a “no-penalty sentence”, sparing Trump jail time, probation or fines.
The Republican leader, set to take office on January 20, becomes the first convicted felon to assume the US presidency. Prosecutors reportedly did not oppose the rare unconditional discharge.
The case, which saw repeated attempts by Trump’s legal team to delay proceedings, has now concluded without immediate repercussions. Legal experts note that while Trump avoids penalties for now, the conviction may carry political and reputational ramifications during his presidency.
Trump had previously pleaded not guilty and has vowed to appeal the guilty verdict. He fought tooth and nail to avoid the spectacle of being compelled to appear before a state-level judge days before returning to the White House. But the US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Trump’s last-minute bid to halt the sentencing.
The sentencing will mark the culmination of the first-ever criminal case brought against a U.S. president, past or present. Trump will be the first president to take office with a criminal conviction.
Bragg, a Democrat, charged Trump, a Republican, in March 2023 with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump, who denied it.
(With agency inputs)