Trump Convicted on 34 Felonies Avoids Prison in Historic Discharge

Judge Juan Merchan sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, with no jail time, no fine, and no probation. The sentencing concluded the first criminal prosecution of a current or former U.S. president, with Trump having been found guilty by a Manhattan jury in May 2024. Legal scholars noted the discharge meant Trump's felony convictions carried no immediate punitive consequence, though the verdict stood as a permanent criminal record.