The elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, was found guilty by a New York criminal court in the spring for falsifying financial documents to conceal payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence. The sentencing is set for January 10. However, the judge presiding over this historic trial stated that imprisonment is not a possibility for the billionaire.
Trump may attend the sentencing "in person or via video link", ruled Judge Juan Merchan in his order on Friday, adding that he is "not inclined to impose a prison sentence" on someone who will become the 47th president of the United States on January 20.
According to the AP agency, Merchan plans to sentence Trump to "what is known as unconditional release, where the case is closed if the defendant avoids re-arrest".
Nevertheless, Trump will be the first U.S. president to be convicted "of a felony" before taking office again.
Media reports another "legal victory," but Trump remains outraged
Trump commented on Judge Merchan's ruling through his social media platform Truth Social, calling the judge "an biased radical", and described the sentencing scheduled for January 10 as "outrageously unlawful" and "contrary to our Constitution".
"If upheld, this will be the end of the presidency as we know it", Trump added. He claimed that the criminal case "should never have been brought".
Merchan rejected Trump's request to dismiss the verdict and terminate the case based on presidential immunity and his upcoming return to the White House.
The New York judge stated that he finds "no legal barriers to sentencing" Trump and that he is even "obligated" to issue a sentence before the inauguration on January 20.
"Only a final resolution of this matter" will serve the interests of justice," Merchan wrote.
In May, the Republican candidate was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the final weeks of Trump's first campaign for the presidency in 2016. These charges related to an alleged scheme to conceal a monetary payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels for her silence regarding their intimate relationship.
The payment was made to prevent her from disclosing claims about their intimate relationship from several years prior. He asserts that her story is false and that he did nothing wrong.
Following Trump's victory in the elections on November 5, Merchan postponed the sentencing indefinitely so that the defense and prosecution could discuss the case's future developments.
Trump's lawyers urged the judge to dismiss the case, stating that otherwise it would create unconstitutional "obstacles" to governing the country.
Prosecutors acknowledged that some leniency is necessary due to Trump's return to the White House but insisted that the sentence should remain in place.
In addition to the case regarding payments to the porn actress, Trump is also involved in three other criminal cases that have not yet gone to trial.
After the elections, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith concluded two federal cases.
One of these cases concerned Trump's attempts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election, while the other involved allegations that he illegally stored classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
A separate case regarding election interference at the state level in Georgia is largely frozen.