A New York jury found Donald Trump guilty of all 34 felony counts rof falsifying company records, making him the first former President of the United States to be convicted of a crime, according to NBC News.
The verdict was read in Manhattan’s courtroom, where Trump had been on trial since April 15.
He has pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business documents in connection with his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign.
According to NBC News, Trump stared down with his eyes squinted as the jury foreperson read the word “guilty” on each count.
The jury reached its decision after 9.5 hours of deliberations, which began on Wednesday.
Trump is the first former president to be convicted on criminal charges in US history, and he will be sentenced in July.
Trump was the presumptive Republican presidential nominee at the time of his historic conviction. The judge commended the jurors for their service during the weeks-long trial.
“You gave this matter the attention it deserved, and I want to thank you for that,” Judge Juan Merchan told them, according to a report by NBC News.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, filed a petition for acquittal after the jury left the room, which the court declined.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury in his closing statements earlier this week that “the law is the law, and it applies to everyone equally. There is no special standard for this defendant.”
“You, the jury, have the ability to hold the defendant accountable,” Steinglass said.
