The New York Times revealed in a report that although the details of the indictment against former President Donald Trump have not been made public, officials following the file confirmed that it includes more than 20 charges.
The charges mainly related to the scandal of actress Stormy Daniels, who in October 2016, ahead of the presidential election, was trying to sell the story of her relationship with Trump.
At the time, a Trump supporter brokered a deal between Donald Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels' lawyer, under which Cohen paid the actress $130,<> for her silence.
confession
Events began to develop in a negative direction for the Trump camp in 2018, when Cohen pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including "bribery of silence." Federal prosecutors concluded that the amount paid to Stormy Daniels was considered an "inappropriate" campaign donation.
The New York Times report explained that lawyer Michael Cohen not only admitted to wrongdoing, but pointed the finger at Donald Trump, and said that he ordered him to pay financial compensation to Stormy Daniels, which prosecutors later confirmed.
According to the New York Times report, the investigation also examined the story of monthly payment checks that Trump paid through his company to his lawyer Cohen, as well as the "misleading" way in which the company presented what was paid to the lawyer on the basis that it was a legal expense where the company's papers spoke of "attorney's fees."
However, there has been no legal basis for Cohen receiving those payments via checks from Trump's company, even though Cohen became Trump's personal lawyer during his presidency.
Falsification?
Forgery of business records in New York may amount to a crime, but prosecutors must prove Trump's "fraud intent," which also includes an intent to commit or conceal a second crime, the report said.
If the first "crime" was tampering with business records, the second could be a violation of election law, so that $130,<> could be considered an "inappropriate donation" to the Trump campaign, where Scott Stormy Daniels guaranteed him.
New York prosecutors are facing for the first time such a case, combining charges of fraud in business records and violation of election law.
He stressed that it would be difficult to convict Trump or send him to jail despite Cohen's candid admission that it was the former president who commissioned him to pay the silent bribe to Stormy Daniels. The lawyers will focus on damaging Michael Cohen's credibility.
The New York Times report stated that if Trump is convicted, the maximum sentence could be up to 4 years in prison, which will not necessarily be mandatory.