Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of fabricating company records in the first degree in New York City on Tuesday. The charges carry a maximum punishment of 136 years in jail, however if convicted on any or all counts, the real sentence will most likely be far less. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump and his associates with using a "catch and kill" scheme to conceal potentially damaging information ahead of the 2016 election, resulting in dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.
Bragg charged Trump and his allies with conducting a "catch and kill" operation to bury potentially harmful material ahead of the 2016 election, resulting in hundreds of fraudulent entries in corporate records to conceal illegal behavior, including attempts to break state and federal election laws. The indictment of Donald Trump follows a multi-year investigation by Manhattan prosecutors into hush payments allegedly made by the former president to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
In 2019, federal prosecutors in New York's Southern District decided not to pursue Trump with any crimes relating to the payments. The Federal Election Commission likewise concluded its inquiry without charging anyone. Trump has dubbed the inquiry "the greatest degree of political persecution and election interference in history." A prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, is also looking into Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in that state, while federal investigations led by a special counsel are looking into Trump's handling of classified documents and his alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat nationwide.
