The court will announce its verdict on Trump regarding payments to a porn star: what consequences can be expected?

The New York State Supreme Court is set to announce a verdict on January 10 regarding the elected U.S. President Donald Trump in the case concerning hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. However, it is unlikely that the politician will be sent to prison.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters.

Acting Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan ruled that Trump must appear at the hearing 10 days before his inauguration on January 20, marking an unprecedented situation in U.S. history. Until now, no former or current president has been charged with a crime or convicted.

The judge stated that Trump could attend the sentencing either in person or virtually. He added that a verdict of "unconditional release," meaning no imprisonment, fine, or probation, would be the "most viable solution."

Requests to dismiss the case rejected

Merchan announced his plan for sentencing while denying Trump's motion to dismiss the case due to his presidential election victory.

In a second motion to dismiss, filed after his May verdict, Trump's lawyers argued that the case hanging over him during his presidency would hinder his ability to govern.

Merchan dismissed this argument, writing that overturning the jury's verdict would "undermine the rule of law to an immeasurably greater extent."

"The defendant's status as an elected president does not warrant radical and 'rare' exercise of (the court's) powers to grant the dismissal motion," Merchan wrote in his decision.

The judge also rejected Trump's argument, filed in court on December 3, claiming that dismissal was justified because his "civil and financial contributions to this city and country are too numerous to count."

While acknowledging the politician's merits as president, the judge stated that Trump's public statements undermining the justice system also influenced his decision.

Merchan criticized what he termed Trump's "relentless and unfounded attacks" on the integrity of the criminal proceedings. He reminded that he had found Trump guilty on 10 counts of contempt of court for repeatedly violating an order limiting extrajudicial statements about witnesses and others.

"The defendant has made considerable efforts to broadcast on social media and other forums his disrespect for judges, jurors, grand juries, and the justice system as a whole. The nature and history of the defendant concerning the rule of law and the third branch of government must be analyzed. In this sense, it does not reflect favorably on him," Merchan wrote.

At the same time, Trump's spokesperson, Stephen Chung, noted that there should be no verdicts in this case.

"This unlawful case should never have been initiated, and the Constitution requires it to be immediately dismissed," Chung stated.

Emergency measure

Initially, Trump's sentencing was scheduled for November 26, but Merchan postponed it indefinitely following the politician's victory in the U.S. presidential election on November 5.

The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office stated that there are other measures beyond "the extreme measure." In particular, this includes overturning the jury's verdict, which could alleviate Trump's concerns about distractions from the criminal case during his presidency.

They proposed several options to Merchan, including postponing the sentencing until the 78-year-old Trump leaves the White House in 2029, or ensuring a verdict that does not involve imprisonment.

Prosecutors also did not rule out that the judge might simply dismiss the case, noting that Trump has never been convicted and that his verdict has not been affirmed or overturned on appeal. They stated that such an approach is used in cases where the defendant dies after a guilty verdict but before sentencing.

The case against Trump for hush money

Prosecutors are investigating the payment of $130,000 made by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. This payment was for her silence before the 2016 election regarding a sexual encounter she claims to have had with the politician ten years prior. However, Trump denies this and insists that the payment was legal and unrelated to his campaign.

On May 30, 2024, a Manhattan grand jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the payment. This marked the first time a U.S. president has been convicted or charged with a criminal offense.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and labeled the case an attempt by Manhattan District Attorney Bragg, a Democratic prosecutor who filed the charges, to harm his 2024 campaign.

On December 16, Trump lost a separate attempt to overturn the indictment in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling from July 1. According to the ruling, presidents cannot be held criminally liable for their official actions and that evidence of their official actions cannot be presented in criminal cases related to personal conduct.

Dismissing Trump's motion to dismiss the case, Merchan stated that criminal prosecution for "certainly personal actions of falsifying business records does not pose a danger of interference with the powers and functions of the executive branch."

Falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years in prison, but imprisonment is not mandatory.

Before Trump's election victory, lawyers suggested that it was unlikely he would end up behind bars due to a lack of criminal history and his advanced age.