Crimes Met Test to Be Raised to Felonies, Bragg Says

The 34 criminal counts that former President Donald Trump faces are all class E felonies, which are the lowest category of felony offense in New York State. The maximum prison sentence is four years on each count, the New York Times reports. Trump pleaded not guilty to every count Tuesday in a New York courtroom. The charges involve the falsification of business records, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said in a statement. That crime usually is a misdemeanor, per the Times, but rises to a felony if prosecutors suspect the defendant falsified records to commit another crime or to cover up a crime.

"The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election," Bragg said. The statement describes payments to a former Trump Tower doorman, a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with Trump, and an "adult film actress," believed be Stormy Daniels. The 34 counts are all one crime, representing 34 distinct instances of misconduct. The statement of facts issued by the prosecutor doesn't mention "conspiracy," but it seems to describe one. It says Trump "orchestrated a scheme" involving other people to influence the election.

Trump and others "employed a 'catch and kill' scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects," the DA's office said. Trump then "went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws," per the DA's office. After the hearing, Bragg described the offenses as "34 false statements made to cover up other crimes," qualifying them as felonies. "Everyone stands equal under the law," he said Tuesday. The DA's office posted the indictment here, with details of each of the payments.

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In brief comments after the hearing, Trump's attorneys said the charges show that the rule of law in the US is "dead." The former president did not comment publicly after leaving the hearing. (More Donald Trump stories.)