Convicted in bribery case, Donald Trump escapes punishments such as fines or supervision, maintaining criminal status while seeking to reverse decision on appeal
Juan Merchan, the New York judge responsible for the silent money payment case involving US President-elect Donald Trump, granted Trump an unconditional discharge this Friday (10) when he handed down the sentence in the case.
Trump will not face fines or probation supervision, according to the ruling.
However, the ruling formally classifies Trump as a convicted felon, depending on the outcome of his future appeals.
“The considerable, and indeed extraordinary, legal protections afforded to the office of president are a factor that outweighs all others,” Merchan said.
However, “they do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way,” Merchan said.
“Imposing a sentence is one of the most difficult and significant decisions any criminal court judge is called upon to make,” Merchan added.
New York prosecutor Joshua Steinglass recommended a sentence of unconditional discharge due to the defendant’s status as president-elect.
Trump is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th US president on January 20.
A sentence of unconditional discharge preserves Trump’s status as a convicted felon while he pursues his appeals, Steinglass added.
Trump maintained his innocence at the sentencing hearing, saying: “The fact is I am completely innocent. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Today’s event was a despicable farce” and we will appeal this “farce,” Trump said on social media shortly after the sentencing hearing.
Trump’s attempt to suspend the sentence was denied by the US Supreme Court on Thursday.
Previously, Trump’s motions to stay the sentence in the New York State Supreme Court in New York County, the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Department, as well as the New York State Court of Appeals, were all rejected.
In May 2024, a jury in New York found Trump guilty of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an attempt to hide hush money payments to a porn star in 2016. The sentencing start date was July 11 2024.
With information from Xinhua*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/01/10/trump-e-declarado-culpado-mas-escapa-de-qualquer-penalidade/
