Trump's Hush Money Sentencing: Unconditional Discharge

President-elect Donald Trump received an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025, in his New York "hush money" case. This means no prison time, community service, or fines despite his conviction on all 34 counts of falsification of business records. Trump and his attorney plan to appeal the conviction.

While the sentence was recommended by prosecutors, they criticized Trump's actions for damaging public perception of the justice system. Trump maintains his innocence, calling the case a "political witch hunt."

Key Details of the Case:

• The charges stemmed from a $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels by Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, before the 2016 election. Prosecutors argued this was to suppress Daniels' claim of an affair with Trump.
• Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsification of business records, a felony in New York.
• An unconditional discharge is an unusual sentence, explained by the judge as necessary to avoid impacting the presidential office.

Listen to the Courtroom Audio

Listen to the full courtroom audio of Trump's sentencing here.

What is an Unconditional Discharge?

An unconditional discharge involves no formal punishment. The maximum sentence for the charges could have been four years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines per count. The judge's decision was based on legal protections afforded to the office of the president.