Former United States President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of forgery, which prosecutor Alvin Bragg, in charge of the case, said was made with the intent to defraud and hide other wrongdoing.
Text: Salome Ramirez Vargas
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg detailed Tuesday afternoon the facts behind the historic indictment against former United States President Donald Trump, who faces 34 counts of falsifying business records.
“We cannot normalize and we will not normalize serious criminal conduct. The defendant repeatedly made false statements in New York business records,” Bragg told reporters at the end of Trump’s hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Trump would have falsified documents on 34 occasions. According to the prosecution, the former president falsely claimed that he was paying Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and mediator, for legal services performed in 2017.
In reality, they point out, Trump would be reimbursing Cohen for payments made just before the November 2016 election to silence negative information and “improve Trump’s chances” of winning the race.
“It is about 34 commercial records; 34 false statements and business records that concealed criminal conduct,” Bragg insisted.
The bribes would have been paid to three people. One of them, the porn actress Stormy Daniels, whom Cohen paid $130,000 to buy her silence about an alleged affair between the two a decade earlier.
The $130,000 payment also exceeded the federal limit for undeclared financial contributions that can be made during an election campaign, which constituted another illegal activity.
Bragg also detailed payments made to Karen McDougal, who was a PlayBoy magazine model, through American Media, Inc., to prevent her from making negative statements about Trump during the presidential campaign.
*Read also: Donald Trump accuses prosecutor of wanting to interfere in elections with bribery case
“These people participated in an illegal scheme. A scheme that violated New York election law, which criminalizes conspiring to further a candidacy by unlawful means,” Bragg added.
Refunds to Cohen would have spanned nine months, and at times, the checks would have been signed directly by Trump. This money was reported to New York tax authorities as income, rather than refunds, which constituted other “felony conduct.”
“Why did Donald Trump repeatedly make these false statements? The evidence will show that he did it to cover up crimes related to the 2016 election,” Bragg added.
New York State law makes it a felony to falsify business documents with intent to defraud and conceal another crime.
New evidence against Trump
When asked about the reason why the accusation is being made at this time and not in previous years, Bragg assured that in recent months he had access to new evidence that allowed the case to move forward.
“We have had more evidence available to the office and the opportunity to meet with additional witnesses. Like I said before, I’ve been doing this for 24 years. I do not handle cases before a thorough and rigorous investigation. Now, having done this, the case has been presented.
Among the material reviewed that served as evidence, he added, were text messages, emails, phone records and conversations with witnesses.
*Read also: Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges and will remain on probation
Bragg assured that in the state of New York, they have a “special interest” in dealing with cases of false commercial declarations, due to the financial activity that is carried out in the city.
During Tuesday’s hearing in New York state court, Trump sat with his hands folded as he delivered his statement flanked by his lawyers. “Not guilty,” he said when asked how he pleaded.
After the hearing, Trump assured that it was “shocking for many” because the prosecution did not present “surprises.”
“Virtually all legal experts have said there is no case here. Nothing was done illegally!” Argued the former president a few minutes after taking off from New York to his residence in Palm Beach, Florida, through the Truth Social social network.
In New York, forgery of business documents is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, but is elevated to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison when done in furtherance or concealment of another crime.
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