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this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2024
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Take it with a grain of salt since the description is coming from an MSNBC host.
But she's right in that, when it comes to deciding sentencing, this will not do him any favors.
Maximum sentence is 4 years per count +$5,000 fine.
So he'll likely get multiple 4 year sentences, served concurrently, and $5K x 34... $170,000 fine.
He'll never see the inside of a cell. The legal system protects shit like him.
That's expected when you live in a corporatocracy masquerading as a democracy.
They’re also a nonviolent class E felonies. I’d love to see him behind bars, but there’s no reason to expect a prison sentence. It’s possible, but not probable.
Pipe dreams. It’s extremely rare for prison sentences to be imposed for white collar, non-violent e felonies like this.
Merchan isn’t going to impose a shit load of time just because people want it- that would pretty quickly get over turned by higher courts.
Most likely the best we can hope for is house arrest; the only reason we have a hope of jail time at all is that trumps behavior during and leading up to the trial (inciting his mob to threaten violence, refusal to abide gag orders.)
In some regards the house arrest might be politically the best for Trump. He can still broadcast his stupidity.
Again, look at the other people involved. Cohen got 3 years for his part in it, Alan Weisselberg, while not convicted for this, got 5 months for his role in another Trump ordered scheme.
So, yeah, it does happen for white collar crime. When you consider 34 counts and his lack of contrition, I can see the Judge hitting him with the max, which, granted, is only 4 years.
I’m being cautiously optimistic here, but I have to admit prison time is probably a long shot. Justice Merchan didn’t want to jail him on his ten instances of contempt, and I can understand wanting to avoid politicizing an already unprecedented trial and handing the defense reason for appeal. Given convicted felon Donald Trump’s behavior however, my personal prediction is something like house arrest and possibly a supervised release schedule. Total bullshit, but I do think Merchan has been playing the long game so that whatever sentence he hands down is airtight and holds up under appeal.
A part of me hopes they fine him $130k. Fining him the exact amount he paid Stormy Daniels somehow feels like an even bigger "fuck you" than the maximum possible financial penalty.
So with the inflation adjustment, that looks like ... 172k today!
No, that won't do any rehabilitation. It needs to be jailed or maybe cleaning the highway.
He would surely rather die than rehabilitate, and frankly probably won't have much choice in the matter given his age and condition, even if he were willing to try.
But then if he forges fake business records to pay the fine... :)
Hey, criminals do dumb stuff all the time...
https://youtu.be/BUp9_pHyEHo
I believe the maximum total is 4 years, not cumulative. And given that it’s his first conviction, and he has a campaign to run, the chance he’ll spend any time in jail at all is slim.
*edit: OP mentioned concurrently, so they said the same thing. Reading comprehension at 8 AM not booted up yet.
Concurrent means not cumulative
Oops, my morning brain skipped over that word, thanks for pointing it out.
An analysis I read said NY almost never imprisons a first time fraud offender. If true then it's pretty unlikely he will be imprisoned at all.
On one hand you're right about first time offenders, but on the other he's made it clear monetary fines don't dissuade him (e.g. the ten he got for his truth social attacks on the judge and co.) which could in turn influence the decision regarding jailtime.
That's a good point.
On the other hand, the best lawyers money can buy.
That does not describe his lawyers...
It was just an assumption, he has money, lawyers are paid with money.
hes bad about following through with the last part, hence the dip in lawyer quality.
A trump does not simply pay his bills.
Cohen was a first time offender and did 3 years for the same crime.
This is patently untruthful.
First, Cohen’s conviction was federal. Trumps are state.
Second. Trump is convicted of fraudulent business records. Cohen was convicted of lying to a financial institution, tax fraud, unlawful corpo contributions, and excessive campaign contributions. (Source)
Not the same crime, the same crime plus tax evasion and making false statements to a federally-insured bank.
That's true. I guess it will come down to the details. Though will be interesting to see if the feasibility of actually sending Trump to prison (and protecting him, without 24/7 solitary confinement) weighs into it.
Put him in a jail cell, post Secret Service outside the door. Problem solved. :)
I know, I know, it's not that simple. Some poor bastard is going to have to make sure he doesn't drop the soap in the shower.
But if Martha Stewart was kept safe, they can do it for Trump.
What if they commit fraud 36 more times? How about then?
4 years, one for each year he was president.
EDIT: begin the "four more years!" chanting