Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a pre-sentencing hearing today with a New York probation officer, a standard procedure for defendants found guilty in criminal cases prior to being sentenced by a judge. This is Yahoo News’ succinct update on the criminal and civil cases against Trump. Here are the latest developments.
🚨 What’s happening today
Trump is expected to be interviewed virtually from his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida today by a New York probation officer, NBC News reported. The former president will be accompanied by Todd Blanche, the lead lawyer in his New York criminal trial, which resulted in guilty verdicts on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The interview will be submitted to Judge Juan Merchan to help him decide what punishment he will hand down to the former president and current presumptive Republican presidential nominee on July 11.
🔬Zoom in: What will be discussed
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The pre-sentencing interview will be conducted by a female probation officer, NBC reported, and will take place over a secure video network connection.
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Usually, such interviews are not held in the presence of a lawyer, but Merchan agreed to allow Blanche to be present, and prosecutors did not object.
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While Trump is one of the most famous defendants in U.S. history, the purpose of the pre-sentencing interview is to gather information about a defendant’s prior criminal history and other factors, such as health information, that Merchan could consider before handing down his punishment.
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The judge will have discretion when it comes to deciding Trump’s punishment. Each guilty count in the trial carries a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison, but if Merchan opts for jail time, each guilty count would likely be served concurrently. Most experts believe that Trump will avoid jail time, however, and that Merchan will sentence him to fines and probation.
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Other sentencing factors that could come into play are Trump’s age, the fact that he is a first-time criminal offender, and his continued violations of the gag order that Merchan put in place and remains in effect.
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Trump has continued to rail against the judge, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and President Biden for bringing what he has described as a politically-motivated case against him.
🗓 What’s next?
After the interview is submitted to Merchan, the judge will decide on Trump’s punishment, announcing it on July 11 at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York.
