Trump InvestigationS

tracking the cases

Donald Trump Silhouette headshot
New york hush money Case
New york
hush-money Case

By MICHAEL R. SISAK

Updated SEPTEMBER 7, 2024

Overview of the Case:

In the first of his four criminal cases, former President Donald Trump was indicted in New York City on March 30, 2023, on charges involving a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016.

Former President Donald Trump entering courtrrom.
Former President Donald Trump walks into a Manhattan courtroom for his April 4, 2023 arraignment in the hush-money case.
Former President Donald Trump sitting in court.
Former President Donald Trump sits in a Manhattan courtroom with his lawyers at his April 4, 2023 arraignment in the hush-money case.

The indictment centered on allegations that Trump falsified internal records kept by his company to hide the true nature of payments made to his then-personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who helped cover up the allegations.

The case centered on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged Trump had out of wedlock.

Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the publisher of the National Enquirer supermarket tabloid to pay McDougal $150,000 in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill.”

Trump's company, the Trump Organization, then reimbursed Cohen and paid him bonuses and extra payments, all which prosecutors say were falsely logged as legal expenses in company records. Over several months, Cohen said the company paid him $420,000.

The indictment, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, made Trump the first ex-president ever to face criminal charges. Trump was subsequently indicted in Georgia and Washington, D.C. for plotting to overturn his 2020 election loss, and in Florida for hoarding classified documents.

The Charges:

Donald Trump was convicted on May 30, 2024 on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.

To convict the former president, jurors were required to find that he not only falsified or caused business records to be entered falsely, which would be a misdemeanor, but that he did so to conceal another crime, making the charges felonies.

2 Donald Trump flags waving in the wind.
The scene outside the Manhattan courthouse where former president Donald Trump was arraigned April 4, 2023 on 34 felony counts in his hush-money criminal case.
A courtroom sketch of former President Donald Trump.
An artist’s sketch showing former President Donald Trump pleading not guilty at his April 4, 2023 arraignment in his Manhattan hush-money criminal case.

Prosecutors said the other crime was a violation of a state election law barring conspiracies to promote or prevent an election by unlawful means. Jurors then had three alleged “unlawful means” to choose from. One of them involved federal campaign finance violations.

CASE STATUS:

Trump was convicted on May 30.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26.

Trump’s trial started with jury selection on April 15.

Opening statements were given on April 22, followed by the start of testimony. In all, 22 witnesses testified — 20 called by the prosecution and two by the defense. Trump decided not to testify on his own behalf. Closing arguments were made on May 28.

WHAT DO TRUMP AND HIS LAWYERS SAY?

Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to appeal his conviction. After the guilty verdict, he angrily complained to reporters outside the courtroom: “This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”

Trump and his lawyers have argued that payments to Michael Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not part of any cover-up. “I was paying a lawyer and marked it down as a legal expense," he said. "That's exactly what it was. And you get indicted over that?”

Former President Donald Trump giving a speech.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 4, 2023, hours after being arraigned in his Manhattan hush-money case.
THINGS TO WATCH:

Trump is continuing to fight to get his conviction overturned.

Judge Juan M. Merchan said he will rule Nov. 12 on Trump’s request to throw out the verdict and dismiss the case in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July immunity ruling. The judge had said he would rule in mid-September but delayed that when he postponed Trump’s sentencing until Nov. 26.

At the same time, Trump is trying to get a federal court to take control of the case from the state court in another bid to get the case dismissed on immunity grounds. Trump is appealing after a federal judge’s refusal to take the case.

Trump’s conviction is punishable by up to four years behind bars, but prosecutors have not said if they would seek incarceration and it’s not clear if Merchan would impose such a sentence. Other options include a fine or probation.

key developments:
September 6, 2024:

Judge Juan M. Merchan agrees to postpone Donald Trump’s sentencing until Nov. 26, about three weeks after Election Day. Merchan says he wants to avoid any perception that the sentence was intended to tilt the scales in the presidential race. The delay means voters will cast their ballots without knowing whether the Republican nominee is going to jail. The sentencing had been scheduled for Sept. 18. Trump had asked the court for a delay and prosecutors said they didn't necessarily oppose one.

August 29, 2024:

Trump asks a federal court to seize control of the case from the state court where it was tried. His lawyers argue that the historic prosecution violated his constitutional rights and ran afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent presidential immunity ruling. If the case is moved to federal court, Trump’s lawyers said they will then seek to have the verdict overturned and the case dismissed on immunity grounds. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected the request on Sept. 3. Trump has appealed the ruling.

August 15, 2024:

Trump asks that his Sept. 18 sentencing be postponed until after Election Day. His lawyers suggest that proceeding as scheduled would be election interference. They also want more time to weigh next steps after Judge Juan M. Merchan’s expected Sept. 16 ruling on their request that the verdict be thrown out on immunity grounds.

August 14, 2024:

Merchan rejects Trump’s latest demand to step aside from the case. He calls the recusal request a rehash “rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims” about his ability to remain impartial. Trump’s lawyers renewed their demand that Merchan step aside in a letter to the judge about two weeks earlier.

August 1, 2024:

A New York appeals court upholds Trump’s gag order, keeping the restrictions in place until he is sentenced. The gag order, modified after Trump’s conviction, bars him from commenting about the prosecution team, court staffers or their families, including Merchan’s daughter, a Democratic political consultant.

July 1, 2024:

Trump’s lawyers ask Merchan to overturn his conviction, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling hours earlier that ex-presidents have broad immunity from prosecution. The ruling curbs prosecutions for official acts and restricts prosecutors from pointing to official acts as evidence that a commander in chief’s unofficial actions were illegal. Merchan says he rule on the request on Sept. 16.

may 30, 2024:

Trump is convicted on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The judge initially schedules his sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention, but later delays it until Sept. 18 in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.

may 29, 2024:

Jurors begin deliberating. They are sent home without reaching a verdict after asking to rehear testimony from key witnesses.

may 21, 2024:

Trump’s lawyers rest their defense case after calling just two witnesses. Their case aims at raising doubts about key prosecution witness Michael Cohen’s credibility. Robert Costello, an attorney who offered to represent Cohen after the FBI raided his property in 2018, testified that Cohen told him Trump "knew nothing" about the Stormy Daniels’ hush money deal.

may 20, 2024:

The prosecution rests its case after calling 20 witnesses, including porn actor Stormy Daniels, tabloid publisher David Pecker and Donald Trump’s former lawyer-turned-foe Michael Cohen.

may 7, 2024:

Donald Trump’s lawyers ask for a mistrial after Stormy Daniels gives an at times graphic account of a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in 2006 — a claim that prompted Michael Cohen to pay her $130,000 to keep quiet on the eve of the 2016 election. Trump’s lawyers argued it was “the kind of testimony that makes it impossible to come back from,” but Judge Juan M. Merchan rejected the request, saying defense lawyers should have raised more objections as she spoke.

may 6, 2024:

Donald Trump is again held in contempt of court and fined $1,000 for another gag order violation and is told that future violations could send him to jail. The latest violation stems from an April 22 interview with television channel Real America’s Voice in which Trump criticized the speed at which the jury was picked and claimed, without evidence, that it was stacked with Democrats.

April 30, 2024:

Judge Juan M. Merchan holds Donald Trump in contempt of court and fines him $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that bars him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the case. The judge warns that if Trump does it again, he could be jailed.

April 22, 2024:

Opening statements are delivered, followed by the start of witness testimony. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker is called as the prosecution’s first witness — the first person ever to testify at a trial of a former U.S. president. He tells jurors that he made a deal in August 2015 with Donald Trump and Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen to be the “eyes and ears” of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. He said he agreed to help identify negative stories about Trump so they could be bought and suppressed.

April 15, 2024:

Jury selection begins in Donald Trump’s hush money case, marking the start of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. After the first few hours of the day were taken up by procedural arguments, the first panel of 96 potential jurors were led into the room. Judge Juan Merchan introduced Trump to the jurors. “The name of this case is the People of the State of New York vs. Donald Trump,” he said.  The first day ended without any jurors being chosen. After leaving court for the day, Trump derided the trial as “a political witch hunt.”

April 8-10, 2024:

For three straight days, Trump’s lawyers appear before New York appeals court judges to ask that his criminal trial be postponed. And on each day, the judges, one by one, refuse to delay the case. Trump’s lawyers try a variety of arguments with the court. They say the trial judge is unfair and needs to be replaced. They argue that a gag order placed on Trump is too restrictive. Prosecutors argue, successfully, that there is no valid reason to postpone jury selection.

April 3, 2024:

Judge Juan M. Merchan rejects Donald Trump’s bid to postpone the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on presidential immunity claims he raised in another of his criminal cases. Merchan deemed the request untimely. He chided Trump’s lawyers for not raising the immunity issue sooner. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments April 25. Trump’s lawyers say some evidence in the hush-money case could be affected by how the high court rules.

April 1, 2024:

Merchan expands Trump’s gag order to bar him from making public statements about the judge’s family and the family of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The move comes days after the former president lashed out at his daughter, a Democratic political consultant, and make false claims about her in posts to his Truth Social platform. Merchan writes that Trump’s “pattern of attacking family members” of judges and lawyers in his cases serves no legitimate purpose.

March 26, 2024:

A judge issues a gag order barring Donald Trump from making or directing other people to make public statements about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in the hush-money case. Judge Juan Manuel Merchan cites the former president's history of “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating" remarks about people involved in his legal cases. The gag order echoes one in Trump’s Washington, D.C., election interference criminal case.

March 25, 2024:

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan orders Trump’s hush-money trial to begin April 15, rejecting the defense’s calls to postponement it until summer or throw out the charges entirely. The trial had been scheduled to start March 25, but a last-minute document dump prompted Merchan to delay it a few weeks.

March 15, 2024:

A judge delayed President Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial until at least mid-April after his lawyers said they needed more time to sift through a profusion of evidence they only recently obtained from a previous federal investigation into the matter. Judge Juan Manuel Merchan agreed to a postponement of at least 30 days and scheduled a hearing for March 25 to address questions about the evidence dump. The trial had been slated to start the same day.

March 14, 2024:

The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it is open to delaying the start of Trump’s hush-money trial up to 30 days after receiving thousands of pages of records from federal prosecutors in New York. Jury selection in the trial is scheduled to begin March 25. Trump's lawyers are seeking a 90-day delay or the dismissal of the charges against him, alleging violations of what's known as the discovery process, where the parties in the case exchange evidence.

NOVEMBER 14, 2023:

Trump gives up on trying to move the case from state court to federal court. His lawyers give notice that they’re dropping an appeal that sought to have a Manhattan federal court take control of the case. They said they were doing so with prejudice, meaning Trump will not be able to change his mind.

August 14, 2023:

The judge presiding over the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, rejects Trump’s demand to step aside, denying defense claims that he’s biased against the 2024 Republican frontrunner because he’s given cash to Democrats and his daughter is a party consultant. Merchan acknowledges that he made several small donations to Democratic causes during the 2020 campaign, including $15 to Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden, but said he is certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial.”

July 19, 2023:

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein rejects Trump’s bid to move the case from state court to federal court, ruling that the former president had failed to meet a high legal bar for changing jurisdiction. Hellerstein rules that the hush-money case involves a personal matter, not presidential duties. Trump’s lawyers appeal.

June 2, 2023:

Trump’s lawyers demand that Judge Juan Manuel Merchan step aside from the case because of what they say is anti-Trump bias and a conflict of interest arising from his daughter’s work for some of Trump’s Democratic rivals. Trump’s lawyers allege that Merchan tipped the scales in two other Trump-related cases by involving himself in plea negotiations for Trump’s longtime finance chief and requiring him to testify against Trump’s company in exchange for a five-month jail sentence. The decision on recusal is entirely up to Merchan. He previously rejected a similar request when Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, was on trial for tax fraud in 2022.

May 4, 2023:

Trump’s lawyers request to move the hush-money case to federal court. They argue that he can’t be tried in state court because the alleged conduct occurred while he was in office. U.S. law allows criminal prosecutions to be moved from state to federal court if they involve actions taken by federal government officials as part of their official duties.

April 4, 2023:

Trump is arraigned in Manhattan. He pleads not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and vows to fight the charges. The court appearance is a spectacle attracting hordes of media and requiring extra security. Reporters line up overnight outside to get a spot in the courtroom. Protesters flock to a park across the street, rallying for and against the former president. Authorities close streets, line the courthouse perimeter with metal barricades and sweep the building with bomb-sniffing dogs. The disruption is so extraordinary, all other court business is canceled for the afternoon.

March 30, 2023:

A New York grand jury indicts Trump on state charges involving a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016. The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal records kept by his company to hide the true nature of payments made to his then-personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who helped cover up Trump’s alleged encounters. The historic indictment makes Trump the first former president to be charged with a crime.

Michael Cohen headshot.
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is a key witness in the ex-president’s Manhattan hush-money criminal case.
Overview of the Trial:

Trump was found guilty on May 30 of 34 counts of falsifying business records after more than nine hours of deliberations, making him the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes. The judge delayed Trump’s sentencing until Nov. 26 after the Republican nominee asked that it be delayed until after the election. It had been scheduled for Sept. 18. Separately, Trump is fighting to move the case from state court to federal court. He is appealing a federal judge’s refusal to take control of the case. If the case is moved, Trump’s lawyers say they’ll ask that his conviction be overturned on immunity grounds.

key figures:

defendant

DONALD TRUMP — The former president of the United States and the presumptive Republican nominee. The trial involves allegations that he falsified his company's records to hide the true nature of payments to his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who helped bury negative stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. He's pleaded not guilty.

Donald Trump headshot

WITNESSES

MICHAEL COHEN — Trump’s former lawyer and fixer. He was once a fierce Trump ally, but now he's a key prosecution witness against his former boss. Cohen worked for the Trump Organization from 2006 to 2017. He later went to federal prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations relating to the hush-money arrangements and other, unrelated crimes.

Michael Cohen headshot

STORMY DANIELS — The porn actor who received a $130,000 payment from Cohen as part of his hush-money efforts. Cohen paid Daniels to keep quiet about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Trump denies having sex with Daniels.

Stormy Daniels headshot

KAREN MCDOUGAL — A former Playboy model who said she had a 10-month affair with Trump in the mid-2000s. She was paid $150,000 in 2016 by the parent company of the National Enquirer for the rights to her story about the alleged relationship. Trump denies having sex with McDougal.

Female silhouette

DAVID PECKER — The National Enquirer’s former publisher and a longtime Trump friend. Prosecutors say he met with Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower in August 2015 and agreed to help Trump’s campaign identify negative stories about him.

David Pecker headshot

HOPE HICKS — Trump's former White House Communications Director. Prosecutors say she spoke with Trump by phone during a frenzied effort to keep allegations of his marital infidelity out of the press after the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape leaked weeks before the 2016 election. In the tape, from 2005, Trump boasted about grabbing women without permission.

Hope Hicks headshot

PROSECUTORS

ALVIN BRAGG — A former civil rights lawyer and law professor, Bragg is a Democrat in his first term as Manhattan’s district attorney. He inherited the Trump investigation when he took office in 2021. He oversaw the prosecution of Trump's company in an unrelated tax fraud case before moving to indict Trump last year.

Alvin Bragg headshot

MATTHEW COLANGELO — A former high-ranking Justice Department official who was hired by Bragg in 2022 to lead the Trump investigation. They previously worked together on Trump-related matters at New York attorney general’s office.

Matthew Colangelo headshot

TRUMP’S LAWYERS

TODD BLANCHE — A former federal prosecutor, Blanche previously represented Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in a mortage fraud case — and got it thrown out. Blanche successfully argued that the case, brought by the same prosecutor's office now taking on Trump, was too similar to one that landed Manafort in federal prison and therefore amounted to double jeopardy.

Todd Blanche headshot

SUSAN NECHELES — A former Brooklyn prosecutor, Necheles is a respected New York City defense lawyer who represented Trump’s company at its tax fraud trial last year. In the past she served as counsel to the late Genovese crime family underboss Venero Mangano, known as Benny Eggs, and defended John Gotti’s lawyer, Bruce Cutler, in the early 90s.

Susan Necheles headshot

THE JUDGE

JUAN M. MERCHAN — The judge presiding over the case. He was also the judge in the Trump Organization’s tax fraud trial in 2022 and is overseeing a border wall fraud case against longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon.

Juan M. Merchan headshot
key documents:
document

VERDICT SHEET

The verdict sheet filled out by the jury on May 30, 2024, showing 34 felony convictions for former President Donald Trump in his New York criminal case.

document

JURY NOTES

All of the notes jurors sent to the judge while deliberating, including requests to rehear certain testimony and instructions, culminating with the announcement on May 30, 2024, that they reached a verdict.

document

Indictment

The indictment charging former President Donald Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush-money scheme to bury damaging stories during his 2016 campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

document

Statement of Facts

A statement of facts prepared by the Manhattan district attorney’s office detailing the allegations in Donald Trump's indictment.

document

Defense motion

Donald Trump's lawyers outlined some of their defense in a court filing that unsuccessfully sought to dismiss the case.

document

Prosecution details

Prosecutors outlined their case against Trump in a pretrial court filing.

document

Jury questionnaire

Questions asked of prospective jurors during the jury selection process.

verdict: guilty

Trump was found guilty on May 30 of 34 counts of falsifying business records after more than nine hours of deliberations, making him the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26. The judge delayed it from Sept. 18 after the Republican nominee asked that it be delayed until after the election.

Trump has also asked the judge to overturn his conviction and dismiss the case because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July presidential immunity ruling. In another delay, Judge Juan M. Merchan said he will rule on Nov. 12. He previously said he would have a decision on Sept. 16.

Separately, Trump is fighting to move the case from state court to federal court. He is appealing a federal judge’s refusal to take control of the case. If the case is moved, Trump’s lawyers say they’ll ask that his conviction be overturned on immunity grounds.

Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump walks outside of Manhattan Criminal Court after a jury convicted him of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool)
GEORGIA ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE
GEORGIA ELECTION
INTERFERENCE CASE

By Kate Brumback

Updated august 28, 2024

Overview of the Case:

Trump and 18 others were charged in August by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with participating in a scheme to illegally try to overturn his narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Among the others charged along with Trump are former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. The alleged scheme includes a wide-ranging list of alleged acts, including Trump’s infamous January 2021 phone call to Georgia’s secretary of state, an effort to replace Georgia’s Democratic presidential electors with ones who would vote for Trump, harassment of a Fulton County election worker and the unauthorized copying of data and software from elections equipment.

Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, headshot.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announces charges against former President Donald Trump and 18 others during a news conference on Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta.
The indictment in Georgia against former President Donald Trump.
The indictment in Georgia against former President Donald Trump is photographed Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.
The Charges He Faces:

All 19 defendants are charged under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. Trump also is charged with nine other criminal counts, including filing false documents, false statements and writings, and assorted conspiracy charges. The RICO charge alone carries a penalty of five to 20 years in prison.

CASE STATUS:

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has not yet set a trial date for Trump. The case against Trump is currently on hold while the former president pursues a pretrial appeal.

WHAT DO TRUMP AND HIS LAWYERS SAY?

Trump has been forceful in his insistence that he did nothing wrong. He has repeatedly said his Jan. 2, 2021, telephone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was “perfect.” He has rained insults on Willis, including calling her a racist and has said her prosecution of him is politically motivated. Trump attorney Steve Sadow has said Trump “should never have been indicted” and is “innocent of all the charges brought against him.” Even as some codefendants agree to testify as part of plea deals reached with prosecutors, Sadow has said any “truthful testimony” would be good for his defense strategy.

Former President Donald Trump giving a speech.
Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departure from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Aug. 24, 2023, after turning himself in at the Fulton County Jail on charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.
THINGS TO WATCH:

Prosecutors have reached plea deals with several defendants, securing guilty pleas and promises to testify in exchange for relatively light sentences. It remains to be seen how many more will come in and what kind of deals they’ll receive. A federal judge has rejected attempts by five of the defendants to move their charges to federal court, and all five have appealed. A federal appeals court rejected Mark Meadows’ appeal, and the other four appeals remain pending. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled in March that District Attorney Fani Willis could stay on the case after her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade as long as Wade resigned, which he later did. McAfee later cleared the way for Trump to appeal his decision not to disqualify Willis or dismiss the case. That appeal is pending before the Georgia Court of Appeals, which has sent a tentative Oct. 4 hearing date for oral arguments. Also in March, McAfee dismissed six of the counts in the indictment, including three of the 13 charges against Trump. Willis has asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to review that ruling. The appeals court has scheduled a Dec. 5 hearing on Trump’s appeal, and then the court will have until mid-March to rule.

key developments:
july 16, 2024:

The Georgia Court of Appeals set a Dec. 5 hearing for oral arguments in the appeal by Trump and others that seeks to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case and to have the indictment tossed out.

MAY 23, 2024:

Prosecutors asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to review Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s ruling dismissing six of the charges in the indictment. That included three of the 13 charges against former President Donald Trump. The judge said prosecutors failed to provide enough detail about the alleged crimes.

MAY 21, 2024:

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis easily defeated a challenger in the Democratic primary in her bid for reelection, leaving her to face a Republican challenger in the fall. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee also fended off a challenger to keep his seat in a nonpartisan election that paves the way for him to serve a full four-year term beginning in January.

MAY 8, 2024:

The Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to review a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and others. That move seemed likely to delay the case so that any trial wouldn’t happen before the November general election, when Trump is expected to challenge President Joe Biden in his bid to return to the White House.

March 20, 2024:

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee cleared the way for Donald Trump and other defendants to appeal his ruling that allowed District Attorney Fani Willis to continue her prosecution of the case. He granted them permission to ask the Georgia Court of Appeals to review that decision.

March 15, 2024:

The special prosecutor who had a romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis formally withdrew from the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump after a judge ruled one of them had to leave the case for it to move forward. Nathan Wade’s resignation came hours after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that Wade had to be removed or Willis must step aside from the case. McAfee did not find that Willis’ relationship with Wade amounted to a conflict of interest that should disqualify her from the case. But, he said, the allegations created an “appearance of impropriety” that infected the prosecution team.

March 13, 2024:

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed six of the charges in the indictment, including three of the 13 charges against former President Donald Trump. But the judge left intact the remaining charges in the sprawling indictment and also said prosecutors could seek a new indictment on the charges he tossed out. The six challenged counts charge the defendants with soliciting public officers to violate their oaths. One count stems from a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, on Jan. 2, 2021, in which Trump urged Raffensperger to help him “find 11,780 votes."

March 1, 2024:

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee heard arguments from both sides on the issue of whether District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the Georgia election interference case over her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. McAfee said he expected to rule within two weeks.

Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee
Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee presides in court, Friday, March, 1, 2024, in Atlanta. The hearing is to determine whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the case because of a relationship with Nathan Wade, special prosecutor she hired in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz, Pool)
February 27, 2024:

Special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s former law partner and onetime divorce attorney, Terrence Bradley, was forced to testify after the judge found that communications he had with Wade about the relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis were not protected by attorney-client privilege. Bradley was expected to be a key witness for the lawyers trying to remove Willis from the case, but he repeatedly said he did not know or could not remember when Willis and Wade’s relationship began.

February 15-16, 2024:

During an extraordinary two-day evidentiary hearing, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade both took the stand and answered very personal questions about their relationship. They both testified the relationship started after Wade was hired and that they split travel costs. A former Willis friend and employee, Robin Yeartie, testified that she’d seen the pair kissing and hugging before Wade was hired.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. The hearing is to determine whether Willis should be removed from the case because of a relationship with Nathan Wade, special prosecutor she hired in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. (Alyssa Pointer/Pool Photo via AP)
February 2, 2024:

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed a response to Trump co-defendant Michael Roman’s motion to remove her from the case. She acknowledged a “personal relationship" with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, but argued it had no bearing on the case and did not provide grounds to disqualify her.

January 14, 2024:

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis used a speech at a historic Black church in Atlanta to defend the qualifications of special prosecutor Nathan Wade and her decision to hire him. But she did not address the allegations that she and Wade were romantically involved, as alleged by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman in his motion to disqualify her from the case.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a worship service at the Big Bethel AME Church, where she was invited as a guest speaker on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, in Atlanta. The service celebrated Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the historic Black church. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a worship service at the Big Bethel AME Church, where she was invited as a guest speaker on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, in Atlanta. The service celebrated Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the historic Black church. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
January 8, 2024:

Trump co-defendant Michael Roman filed a motion alleging an inappropriate romantic relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a special prosecutor she hired for the case. The motion alleged that Willis paid special prosecutor Nathan Wade large sums for his work and then personally benefitted when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations for the two of them. Roman’s motion sought to have the indictment dismissed and to have Willis and Wade disqualified from the case.

october 24, 2023:

Attorney Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty to one felony count after reaching a deal with prosecutors. Ellis’ guilty plea was related to her attendance at a December 2020 meeting of Georgia state senators where Rudy Giuliani and Georgia-based attorney Ray Smith made false allegations of widespread election fraud in Georgia.

Jenna Ellis headshot.
Jenna Ellis speaks with her attorney Franklin Hogue after pleading guilty to a felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings, before Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, in Atlanta.
october 20, 2023:

Attorney Kenneth Chesebro reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a single felony charge. Prosecutors said Chesebro coordinated and executed a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump won the state and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.

october 19, 2023:

Trump-allied attorney Sidney Powell, who was accused of participating in a breach of elections equipment in a rural south Georgia County, reached a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to six misdemeanor charges.

September 29, 2023:

Scott Hall, who was accused of participating in a breach of elections equipment in a rural south Georgia County, became the first defendant to reach a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to five misdemeanor charges.

August 24, 2023:

Trump traveled to Georgia to be booked at the Fulton County Jail, where the first-ever mug shot of a former president was taken.

Former president Donald Trump, police booking photo.
This booking photo provided by Fulton County Sheriff's Office, shows former President Donald Trump on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, after he surrendered and was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.
August 14, 2023:

Indictment returned by a Fulton County grand jury charging Trump and 18 others with participation in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

FEDERAL election Interference Case
FEDERAL election Interference Case

By Alanna Durkin Richer

Updated September 10, 2024

Overview of the Case:

Trump was charged in August 2023 by special counsel Jack Smith with conspiring to overturn the results of his election loss to President Joe Biden in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors allege Trump and his allies knowingly pushed election fraud lies to pressure state officials to overturn Biden's win, worked to enlist slates of fake electors in battleground states and pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to disrupt the ceremonial counting of electoral votes. Prosecutors say Trump and his allies also sought to exploit the pro-Trump mob's attack on the Capitol by trying to convince members of Congress to further delay the certification of Biden’s victory.

Special counsel Jack Smith headshot.
Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to the media about an indictment of former President Donald Trump, Aug. 1, 2023, at an office of the Department of Justice in Washington.
The Justice department indictment against former President Donald Trump.
The indictment against former President Donald Trump charging him by the Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, is photographed Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, in Washington.
The Charges He Faces:

Trump is charged with four counts: obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to prevent others from carrying out their constitutional rights. The “official proceeding” in the obstruction charge refers to the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress at which electoral votes were counted to certify Biden as the official winner. The most serious charges carry up to 20 years behind bars, though it's difficult to say how much time he could face in the event of a conviction, with such a decision ultimately up to the judge.

Former President Donald Trump giving a speech.
President Donald Trump speaks during a rally protesting the electoral college certification of Joe Biden as President in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
CASE STATUS:

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan had scheduled the trial to begin in Washington’s federal court on March 4, but she put the case on hold so Trump could pursue his claim of presidential immunity in higher courts. Chutkan in February formally postponed the trial and no new date has been set.

The Supreme Court ruled in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, narrowing the case against Trump and sending it back to the trial court to determine what is left of special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment. Smith filed a new indictment in August, keeping the same charges but narrowing the allegations against Trump in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling.

WHAT DO TRUMP AND HIS LAWYERS SAY?

Trump has said he did nothing wrong and has characterized the case as an attempt to hurt his 2024 campaign. His lawyers had argued the case should be dismissed because Trump is immune from prosecution for actions they say were taken in his official role as president. The defense also argued Trump was within his First Amendment rights to challenge the outcome of the election and to allege that it had been tainted by fraud. Courts across the country and Trump's own attorney general found there was no widespread fraud that would have changed the results of the election.

A courtroom sketch of former President Donald Trump.
This artist sketch depicts former President Donald Trump, center, conferring with defense lawyer Todd Blanche, left, during his appearance at the Federal Courthouse in Washington.
John Lauro headshot.
Former President Donald Trump's attorney John Lauro accompanied by other lawyers leaves federal court, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in Washington.
THINGS TO WATCH:

The Supreme Court’s ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution made it all but certain Trump’s trial will not begin before the November election. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority said former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their “exclusive sphere of constitutional authority” and are presumptively entitled to immunity for all official acts. But they do not enjoy immunity for unofficial, or private, actions, the court said. The justices wiped out Smith’s use of allegations that Trump tried to use the investigative power of the Justice Department to undo the election results, holding that his communications with agency officials is plainly protected from prosecution. And they sent the case back to the trial court to determine whether other allegations involve official conduct for which the president would be immune from prosecution. That means the case will likely be tied up for months, or longer, with legal wrangling over what allegations in the indictment can proceed to trial. The timing of the trial matters because if Trump defeats Biden, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecution he faces. Or Trump could potentially order a pardon for himself.

key developments:
September 5, 2024

Prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers appear in court for the first hearing in front of Judge Chutkan in nearly a year to discuss the path forward in the case. After the hearing, the judge issues a written ruling permitting prosecutors to file court documents that could detail unflattering allegations about Trump as he enters the final weeks of his White House run.

August 27, 2024

Special counsel Jack Smith files a new indictment that keeps the same criminal charges but narrows the allegations against Trump following the Supreme Court’s opinion that conferred broad immunity on former presidents.

July 1, 2024

The Supreme Court rules that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, narrowing the case against Trump and sending it back to the trial court to determine which of the remaining allegations in the indictment can proceed to trial. The ruling all but closes the door on the possibility that Trump’s trial could begin before the November election.

APRIL 25, 2024

The Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution in the case. The justices appeared skeptical of Trump’s absolute immunity claims, but several justices signaled reservations about the charges that could cause a lengthy delay, possibly beyond November’s election.

February 28, 2024

U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments the week of April 22 over whether Trump can be prosecuted for election interference.

February 12, 2024

Trump files emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court that seeks to keep the case on hold while he further pursues his immunity claim.

February 6, 2024

The appeals court rejects Trump’s sweeping immunity claims and rules that the former president can face trial. In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel wrote that they cannot accept that former presidents are “above the law for all time” after leaving the White House.

February 2, 2024

Judge Chutkan formally postpones the March trial date as Washington’s federal appeals court weighs Trump’s claim that he immune from prosecution. The judge does not immediately set a new trial date.

December 22, 2023:

The Supreme Court rejects special counsel Jack Smith’s request to immediately take up Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution. Smith had wanted the justices to bypass the appeals court in Washington to speed up a final ruling in the hopes of preserving the March trial date. The justices could still hear the immunity question, however, after the appeals court rules.

December 13, 2023:

Judge Chutkan pauses the case while Trump further pursues his claim that he is immune from prosecution. The judge’s ruling raises the likelihood that the March trial date will be delayed while the appeal of a legally untested argument winds through the courts. But she also left open the possibility of keeping the trial date if the case returns to her court.

December 8, 2023:

Washington’s federal appeals court largely upholds the gag order on Trump but narrowed the restrictions on his speech. The three-judge panel modified Judge Chutkan’s order to allow Trump to make disparaging comments about special counsel Jack Smith, but reimposed limits about what he can say about known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses as well as court staff and other lawyers.

December 1, 2023:

Judge Chutkan rejects Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution, as well his claim that the indictment violates his free speech rights. Chutkan said that the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”

october 16, 2023:

Judge Chutkan imposes a narrow gag order barring Trump from making public statements targeting prosecutors, court staff or potential witnesses. It came after prosecutors raised concerns about Trump’s increasingly incendiary social media posts. Trump is appealing the gag order, calling it unconstitutional.

 U.S. District Judge, Tanya Chutkan, headshot.
This undated photo provided by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, shows U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.
September 27, 2023:

Judge Chutkan denies Trump's request to recuse herself from the case. Trump had argued the judge's past courtroom comments about Trump and his role in the events of Jan. 6 raised doubts about whether she can be fair. But Chutkan said the defense mischaracterized her comments and that there was no reason for her to step aside.

August 3, 2023:

Trump pleads not guilty to the charges in Washington's federal court.

August 1, 2023:

Trump is indicted on federal charges over efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Classified Documents Case
Classified Documents Case

By Eric Tucker

Updated August 28, 2024

Overview of the Case:

Trump was charged in June 2023 by special counsel Jack Smith with illegally retaining classified documents taken with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after he left office in January 2021, and then obstructing government demands to give them back. He was hit with additional charges the following month accusing him of conspiring to ask a staffer to delete surveillance video at the property, and with holding onto a document  -- described by prosecutors as a Pentagon “plan of attack” -- he’s alleged to have shown to visitors at his golf club in New Jersey.

David Harbach headshot.
David Harbach, center, a key prosecutor on special counsel Jack Smith's team, walks out of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami, where a grand jury has been hearing from witnesses for a potential indictment in the classified documents investigation of former President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 8, 2023.
The Charges He Faces:

All told, Trump faces 40 felony counts related to both the possession of the documents, including crimes under the Espionage Act, and the alleged obstruction. The charges include willful retention of national defense information; conspiracy to obstruct justice; false statements and representations; and other counts. Each of the more than 30 willful retention counts carry a maximum 10-year sentence. Though all the charges Trump faces are felonies and include prison as a possible punishment, it’s impossible because of complicated sentencing guideline calculations to say what sort of sentence he could face in the event of a conviction.

CASE STATUS:

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon threw out the entire case last month, issuing a stunning opinion that said Smith had been unlawfully appointed as special counsel and that his office was improperly funded. Smith’s team has appealed that ruling to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where it is now pending.

WHAT DO TRUMP AND HIS LAWYERS SAY?

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he declassified the documents that were taken with him to Mar-a-Lago, but there’s no evidence that that happened and his own lawyers have not echoed that assertion in court papers. Even so, one potential argument his team may try to invoke is that Trump enjoyed wide latitude under the Presidential Records Act for how he handled documents from his presidency. They may also say that he was in the process of cooperating with the government, and returning the documents, at the time that the FBI conducted a dramatic search of Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, 2022.

Defense attorneys  Todd Blanche and Chris Kise walking down stairs.
Defense attorneys representing former President Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, left, and Chris Kise, center, leave the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse after a pretrial conference to discuss procedures for handling classified information in the case against Trump, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Fort Pierce, Fla.
THINGS TO WATCH:

All eyes are on Smith’s appeal of Cannon’s dismissal of the case, and his request that the prosecution be reinstated. It’s unclear when it will be resolved but the timing matters for political purposes: Even if the case is revised by the appeals court, there’s no way for it to reach trial before the November presidential election and, if Trump were to win the contest, he could appoint an attorney general who could dismiss it entirely. The 11th Circuit has already overturned the Trump-appointed Cannon, ruling in 2022 that she had overstepped her bounds when she appointed an independent arbiter to review the classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago.

key developments:
August 26, 2024:

Smith’s team files its initial brief in its appeal of Cannon’s order dismissing the case, saying that her ruling holding that Smith’s appointment was illegal was at odds with longstanding court precedent and decades of Justice Department practice.

July 15, 2024:

Cannon dismisses the entire case, granting defense arguments that Smith’s appointment as special counsel violated the Constitution. The order followed a multi-day court argument weeks earlier.

April 4, 2024:

Cannon rejected another defense request to dismiss the case. This one asserted that Trump was permitted under the Presidential Records Act to hold onto the documents after he left office.

April 2, 2024:

Prosecutors rebuked Cannon over an over directing the two sides to formulate proposed jury instructions. The order suggested that the judge was continuing to entertain one of Trump’s main arguments about his entitlement to the records.

March 14, 2024:

Cannon rejected a defense request to dismiss charges on grounds that the Espionage Act statute at the heart of the case was unconstitutionally vague.

February 12, 2024:

Trump made a rare appearance in federal court in Fort Pierce for a closed-door hearing with his lawyers and the judge centered on the procedures for handling classified evidence. It was the first time since his arraignment in June that he had been present in court for this particular case.

November 10, 2023:

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon postponed numerous procedural deadlines in the case, but left intact – for now – the May 20, 2024 trial date. She said she would revisit during a March 1 hearing the question of when the trial would begin. But in pushing back multiple other deadlines, the judge raised the prospect that a delay in the trial date was also likely.

august 22, 2023:

Prosecutors reveal in a court filing that a Mar-a-Lago information technology director retracted false testimony and provided incriminating information after switching lawyers. A former lawyer for the IT staffer later discloses that his ex-client has struck a cooperation deal with investigators.

july 27, 2023:

Trump and his valet Walt Nauta are charged in a superseding indictment that adds a new allegation that they conspired with a third defendant, Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, in a scheme to delete surveillance video from the property that prosecutors considered to be crucial evidence. Trump and his lawyers have responded by noting that the footage was not deleted.

june 13, 2023:

Trump pleads not guilty to the federal charges and, on his way out of Florida, stops at an iconic Cuban restaurant where he shook hands with supporters and posed for photographs.

June 8, 2023:

Trump and Nauta are charged in a 38-count indictment in the Southern District of Florida.

Special counsel Jack Smith headshot.
Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters Friday, June 9, 2023, in Washington. Former President Donald Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents according to an indictment unsealed on Friday.
NEW YORK - CIVIL Fraud CASE
NEW YORK
CIVIL CASE

By MICHAEL R. SISAK

Updated August 29, 2024

Overview of the Case:

In addition to his four criminal indictments, a judge has ordered Donald Trump to pay a $454 million penalty, ruling in a civil fraud lawsuit that he lied about his wealth for years as he built the real estate empire that vaulted him to stardom and the White House.

Trump is appealing Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 decision. The judge found that Trump, his company and executives including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. schemed to pad his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements given to banks, insurers and others to make deals and secure loans.

Former President Donald Trump giving a speech.
Former President Donald Trump speaks outside the courtroom after testifying in his New York civil fraud trial on Nov. 6, 2023.

Until the appeal is resolved, the total will increase by $111,984 per day because of interest. Trump denies wrongdoing. He does not have to pay the full amount right away. A court said it will pause enforcement while Trump appeals – preventing the possible seizure of his assets – if he puts up $175 million.

Engoron’s decision, after a 2½-month trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, also set strict limitations on his company’s ability to do business, but he rescinded his earlier decision to strip Trump of his companies. An appeals court has lifted many of the restrictions, at least for the duration of Trump’s appeal.

The verdict cut to the heart of Trump’s image as a wealthy and successful businessman as he campaigns to retake the White House. Before the appeals court lowered the amount Trump was required to put up immediately, his lawyers said it was proving impossible for him to post a bond covering the full judgment -- suggesting his legal losses had put him in a serious cash crunch.

Trump denies wrongdoing. He decried the verdict as “weaponization against a political opponent” and complained he was being penalized for “having built a perfect company, great cash, great buildings, great everything.”

James’ office estimated that Trump exaggerated his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion. Engoron found that Trump’s inflated financial statements allowed him to get lower insurance premiums and save at least $168 million by obtaining lower loan interest rates.

Because it is a civil case, there was no possibility of prison time.

The lawsuit went to trial in New York in October 2023. Trump testified on Nov. 6, 2023. His three eldest children, Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka, also testified. Trump attended closing arguments in January and ended up giving a six-minute diatribe after his lawyers spoke.

The ALLEGATIONS:

James, a Democrat, sued Trump under a New York statute known as Executive Law 63(12). The law, passed in 1956, gives the state’s attorney general broad power to investigate allegations of persistent fraud and illegality in business dealings.

James alleged that Trump, his company and top executives routinely puffed up his annual financial statements to create an illusion that his properties were far more valuable than really were.

By making himself seem richer to banks, insurers and others, Trump qualified for better loan terms, saved at least $168 million with lower interest rates and was able to complete projects he might otherwise not have finished, state lawyers said.

Among other things, according to James’ lawsuit, Trump claimed his Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan was nearly three times its actual size and worth $327 million, more than the sales price of any other New York City apartment.

Trump Tower facade
Trump Tower in Manhattan.

Trump also valued his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida based on the idea that the property could be developed for residential use, when he had signed an agreement surrendering rights to develop it for any uses but a club, the lawsuit said.

CASE STATUS:

Judge Arthur Engoron decided the case on Feb. 16, ruling against Trump and ordering him to pay $454 million. The judge issued his searing 92-page decision after a 2½-month trial that saw testimony from 40 witnesses, including Trump.

Trump appealed the verdict on Feb. 26. Rather than having to post the full judgment while he appeals, Trump got the court's OK to put up $175 million, or a little more than 38% of what he owes. Most of the other sanctions Engoron imposed have since been paused while the process plays out.

Engoron found that Trump and the other defendants were liable on claims of falsifying business records, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, conspiracy to falsify business records and issuing false financial statements.

Two former longtime Trump Organization executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney, were also found liable for insurance fraud.

Engoron decided the top claim in James’ lawsuit in a pretrial phase known as summary judgment, ruling that Trump and his co-defendants committed fraud by inflating his financial statements.

In all, Engoron ordered Trump and his co-defendants to pay $363.9 million in penalties, or about $464 million with interest.

WHAT DO TRUMP AND HIS LAWYERS SAY?

Trump denies wrongdoing. He called the $454 million fraud decision “weaponization against a political opponent” and complained that he was being penalized for “having built a perfect company, great cash, great buildings, great everything.”

Trump lawyer Christopher Kise said the former president “remains confident the Appellate Division will ultimately correct the innumerable and catastrophic errors made by a trial court untethered to the law or to reality.”

Trump claims he’s worth far more and that his properties are much more valuable than what was reflected on his financial statements. He and his lawyers contend that the outside accountants who helped prepare the statements should’ve flagged any problems and that a disclaimer on the documents insulates Trump from liability.

“There were no victims because the banks made a lot of money,” Trump said after Judge Arthur Engoron issued the decision on Feb. 16.

Trump testified Nov. 6 that he’d built a “a very, very successful company” and that it’s “a disgrace that a case like this is going on.” He derided James as a “political hack,” accusing the Democrat of targeting him to hurt his chances as Republican presidential front-runner. He called Engoron an “extremely hostile judge.”

Former President Donald Trump sitting with lawyers Alina Habba and Christopher Kise in court.
Former President Donald Trump sits with lawyers Alina Habba and Christopher Kise at his New York civil fraud trial

Trump testified that regardless of what his financial statements said, banks did their own due diligence and would’ve qualified him for the loans anyway. He said there’s no evidence that the terms or pricing would have been any different.

THINGS TO WATCH:

The biggest thing to watch is Trump’s appeal.

The former president appealed the $454 million judgment on Feb. 26.

On March 25, an appeals court said it would halt enforcement of the judgment – meaning Trump won’t have to pay the full amount while the process plays out – if he puts up $175 million. Trump posted a bond for that amount in April.

The appeals court said it will hear arguments on Sept. 26, about six weeks before Election Day and just after the start of early voting in some states.

key developments:
August 21, 2024:

A New York appeals court says it will hear oral arguments in Trump’s appeal on Sept. 26. In a filing with the court, state lawyers argue that there’s “overwhelming evidence” to uphold the judgment. They say Trump’s appeal is awash in “meritless legal arguments” and ignores volumes of evidence of “fraud and illegality on an immense scale.”

July 22, 2024:

In appeal paperwork, Trump’s lawyers argue that the fraud judgment was “erroneous” and “egregious” and should be overturned. They argue that the case should never have gone to trial, the statute of limitations barred some allegations, and the state shouldn’t be policing private business transactions.

April 2, 2024:

Trump posts a $175 million bond to halt collection of the civil fraud judgment and prevent the state from seizing his assets while he appeals. If Trump wins, he won’t have to pay the state anything and will get back the money he has put up.

March 25, 2024:

A court says it will hold off collection of Trump’s $454 million civil fraud judgment while he appeals if he puts up $175 million within 10 days. The ruling comes just as New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, was gearing up to potentially seize some of Trump’s properties to cover the debt. Trump’s lawyers had pleaded for a state appeals court to halt collection without requiring him to post the full amount immediately. They claimed it was “a practical impossibility” to get an underwriter to sign off on a bond covering the $454 million, plus interest, that he owes.

February 26, 2024:

Trump appeals the civil fraud judgment, challenging a judge’s finding that he lied about his wealth as he grew the real estate empire that launched him to stardom and the presidency. His lawyers say they’re asking the appeals court to decide whether Engoron “committed errors of law and/or fact” and whether he abused his discretion or “acted in excess” of his jurisdiction. Trump’s lawyers will have an opportunity to expand on their grievances in subsequent court filings.

February 16, 2024:

Judge Arthur Engoron issues his verdict. He orders Trump to pay $355 million in penalties, plus interest, ruling that he lied for years about his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals. In a 92-page decision, the judge writes “the frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience.” He also put strict limitations on the ability of Trump’s company business, but rescinded his earlier decision to strip Trump of his companies. In all, Engoron ordered Trump and his co-defendants to pay $363.9 million in penalties, or about $464 million with interest that will keep accruing until they pay. Trump is planning to appeal.

JANUARY 11, 2024:

Donald Trump attends closing arguments. He defies the judge and gives a six-minute diatribe after his lawyers speak. Proclaiming “I am an innocent man,” Trump accused Attorney General Letitia James because of a political vendetta. The case “is a fraud on me,” he said. State lawyers, meanwhile, argued that they had presented ample evidence and that “fraud was central to the operation” of Trump’s business.

December 12, 2023:

Trump’s lawyers rest their case after Trump decides against testifying for a second time. “I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. The defense called 17 witnesses in all, including real estate developers and brokers, accounting experts and a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission official. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also returned to the witness stand to present “The Trump Story,” a slideshow of golf course fairways, skyscrapers and gilded interiors.

NOVEMBER 30, 2023:

A New York appeals court reinstates Trump’s limited gag order, again barring him from criticizing court staff. The decision came two weeks after an individual appellate judge put the gag order on hold while the appeals process played out. Judge Arthur Engoron, who imposed the gag order on Oct. 3 after Trump made a disparaging social media post about his chief law clerk, says he plans to enforce the reinstated gag order “rigorously and vigorously.”

NOVEMBER 16, 2023:

A state appeals court judge temporarily lifts Trump’s limited gag order, allowing him to again criticize court staff. Judge Arthur Engoron imposed the gag order on Oct. 3 after Trump made a disparaging social media post about his chief law clerk. Judge David Friedman of the state’s intermediate appeals court raised free speech concerns in suspending the order.

NOVEMBER 8, 2023:

State lawyers rest their civil fraud case against Trump after calling 25 witnesses. They include the former president, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. and daughter Ivanka. The state says it may call rebuttal witnesses after Trump’s lawyers finish calling witnesses of their own.

NOVEMBER 6, 2023:

Trump testifies at his civil fraud trial. He spends about 3½ hours on the stand. He denies allegations that he duped lenders by exaggerating his wealth on financial statements and repeatedly complains about what he deems a “very unfair trial.” He gripes Judge Arthur Engoron ruled “against me without knowing anything about me and labels New York Attorney General Letitia James “a political hack,” saying the Democrat “should be ashamed of herself” for going after him.

A courtroom sketch of former President Donald Trump.
A courtroom sketch shows former President Donald Trump testifying in his New York civil fraud trial on Nov. 6, 2023.
october 26, 2023:

Donald Trump is fined $10,000 for again violating a limited gag order barring attacks on court staff, this time for a comment to reporters outside the courtroom about “a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside” the judge. In an extraordinary moment, Judge Arthur Engoron abruptly called Trump to the witness stand and questioned him about the comment before issuing the fine. Trump said he was talking about his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who was testifying at the time, but Engoron deemed that claim “not credible,” noting that the clerk is closer to him than is the witness stand.

OCTOBER 20, 2023:

Judge Arthur Engoron fines Donald Trump $5,000 after his disparaging social media post about a key court staffer was found to have lingered on his campaign website for weeks after the judge ordered it deleted. Engoron stops short of holding Trump in contempt but says he reserves the right to do so. He raises the possibly of even putting Trump in jail if he again violates a limited gag order barring attacks on court staff.

OCTOBER 3, 2023:

Judge Arthur Engoron imposes a limited gag order and commands Donald Trump to delete a social media post that publicly maligned a key court staffer. The order, issued after a series of closed-door courtroom discussions involving Trump and lawyers for both sides, bars parties in the case from smearing court staff.

OCTOBER 2, 2023:

A trial begins on six remaining claims in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. They include allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records. Though not required to attend, Donald Trump voluntarily goes to the courthouse and sits with his lawyers at the table for opening statements and the start of testimony. Judge Arthur Engoron is presiding over what’s known as a bench trial, meaning he will decide the verdict. That’s because New York law doesn’t allow a jury for this type of lawsuit.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023:

In a pretrial decision, Judge Arthur Engoron rules that Trump and other defendants committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House. The ruling, in a phase of the case known as summary judgment, resolves the key claim in James’ lawsuit. He orders some of Trump’s companies removed from his control and dissolved, but an appeals court pauses enforcement.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023:

New York Attorney General Letitia James sues Trump, his company and top executives including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. She alleges Trump padded his net worth by billions of dollars and habitually misled banks and others about the value of prized assets like golf courses, hotels and his Mar-a-Lago estate. James dubs the alleged scheme “The art of the steal,” a reference to Trump’s 1987 memoir, “The Art of the Deal.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James siting in a courtroom.
New York Attorney General Letitia James siting in the courtroom during the trial in her civil fraud lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.
March 2019:

New York Attorney General Letitia James starts investigating then-President Donald Trump after his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified to Congress that Trump had a history of misrepresenting the value of assets to gain favorable loan terms and tax benefits. Cohen gave copies of three of Trump’s financial statements to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. He said Trump gave the statements to Deutsche Bank to inquire about a loan to buy the NFL’s Buffalo Bills in 2014 and to Forbes magazine to substantiate his claim to a spot on its list of the world’s wealthiest people.

Overview of the Trial:

The lawsuit went to trial on Oct. 2 in Manhattan. State lawyers called more than two-dozen witnesses over a six-week span. They included Trump, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. and daughter Ivanka, as well as longtime Trump Organization executives, accountants, bank officials and Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.

They also introduced reams of evidence, including copies of Trump’s annual financial statements, loan agreements, insurance paperwork, internal emails, property appraisals and spreadsheets that Trump’s underlings gave to the outside accounting firm that prepared the statements.

Trump turned the trial into a frequent, albeit unorthodox campaign stage. He trekked to court 10 times, watching testimony, grousing to news cameras outside the courtroom and bristling under oath that he was the victim of a rigged legal system.

During the trial, Trump called Engoron “extremely hostile” and James “a political hack.” He also incurred $15,000 in fines for violating a gag order that the judge imposed after he made a disparaging and untrue social media post about a key court staffer.

Donald Trump court sketch
Donald Trump gave a six-minute diatribe during closing arguments in his civil fraud trial on Jan. 11, 2024. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

The state rested its case on Nov. 8. Trump’s lawyers began calling witnesses on Nov. 13 after failing in a longshot bid to end the trial with an early verdict. The defense rested on Dec. 12 after Trump decided not to return to the witness stand for a second time.

Trump’s lawyers called 17 witnesses over the course of about five weeks. They included real estate developers and brokers, a former federal financial regulator and accounting gurus. One expert, New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, blasted the state’s case and said Trump’s financial statements “were not materially misstated.”

Trump and his lawyers are appealing.

Overview of the Verdict:

Judge Arthur Engoron issued his decision on Feb. 16, ruling against Trump and ordering him to pay $355 million in penalties, plus interest. Other defendants must pay about $9 million, plus interest.

Judge Arthur Engoron  headshot
Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Donald Trump to pay $355 million in penalties, plus interest, in his Feb. 16, 2024. decision. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The judge found Trump, his company and co-defendant, including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., liable on claims of falsifying business records, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, conspiracy to falsify business records and issuing false financial statements.

Former Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg and the company’s longtime controller Jeffrey McConney were also found liable for insurance fraud.

As punishment, Engoron ordered Trump to payback what the judge deemed “ill-gotten gains” from his spurious financial statements, including money he saved from obtaining lower loan interest rates and “windfall profits” from projects he completed using that financing.

Trump’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., must each pay a little over $4 million, plus interest, to the state for their shares of the Washington hotel sales. Weisselberg was ordered to pay $1 million — half of the $2 million severance he’s receiving.

The judge placed the Trump Organization under an independent monitor’s continued supervision for at least three years, ordered the hiring of an independent compliance director and forced a shakeup in its leadership. He wrote that without the restrictions, Trump and his co-defendants were “likely to continue their fraudulent ways.”

Engoron ruled on the top claim in James’ lawsuit during a pretrial phase known as summary judgment, finding that Trump and his co-defendants committed fraud by inflating his financial statements. In his Feb. 16 ruling, he rescinded his earlier decision to strip Trump of his companies.

Engoron decided the case because state law doesn’t allow for juries in this type of lawsuit, which sought what’s known as “equitable relief” and has different rules than other cases with big-money penalties. Also, he noted, neither side asked for a jury.

Because it is a civil case, there was no possibility of prison time.

Overview of the Appeal:

Trump is appealing to New York’s Appellate Division, a mid-level appeals court just above trial Judge Arthur Engoron’s court in the state’s judicial hierarchy.

After Trump’s lawyers complained that it was “a practical impossibility” to secure a bond covering the $454 million judgment while he appealed, the appeals court gave him a reprieve, ruling on March 25 that it would halt collection if he put up $175 million. Trump posted a bond for that amount in early April.

The appeals court has said it will hear arguments on Sept. 26, about six weeks before Election Day and just after the start of early voting in some states. The court typically rules about a month after arguments, meaning a decision could come before the presidential race ends.

Donald Trump headshot
Donald Trump vowed to appeal, calling the verdict “election interference” and “weaponization against a political opponent.” He spoke to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16, 2024, hours after the decision was issued. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

If Trump is unsuccessful at the Appellate Division, he can ask the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, to consider taking his case.

Trump’s appeal is certain to focus on Engoron, whom Trump’s lawyers have accused of “tangible and overwhelming” bias.

His lawyers said in appeal paperwork that they’re asking the Appellate Division to decide whether Engoron “committed errors of law and/or fact” and whether he abused his discretion or “acted in excess” of his jurisdiction.

They’re also likely to take issue with the legal mechanics involved in James’ lawsuit. Trump contends the law she sued him under is a consumer-protection statute that’s normally used to rein in businesses that rip off customers.

show CREDITS