Former U.S. President Donald Trump could potentially face over 100 years in prison if found guilty of the more than 30 charges of business fraud in the indictment from a Manhattan grand jury.
This was according to attorney Lisa Bloom, who tweeted on Tuesday that each charge against Trump could carry a possible prison term of four years.
The case revolves around the $130,000 payment of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and called the probe a political “witch hunt.”
Bloom, who’s known for advising Harvey Weinstein and then admitting that working for the scandal-ridden Hollywood mogul had been a “colossal mistake,” expressed confidence in the strength of the case against Trump.
If this report is correct, Trump will be arraigned tomorrow on 34 FELONIES.
Each carries a possible prison term of 4 years.
Bragg would not bring this case without strong evidence. Remember, this is the same DA's office that recently convicted the Trump Org for criminal fraud.… https://t.co/gBO9Qf1Gwm
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 4, 2023
She said that the case was a “prosecutor’s dream” because there was a record of the former president giving conflicting versions of the story.
Most experts believe that the chances of Trump actually serving prison time if found guilty are close to zero.
The charges against him would also not disqualify him from running for the presidency in 2024.
“The court case is going to go on for a very long time, and Trump has said that he’s going to mount a rigorous defense,” Michael Tappin, a United States expert and honorary fellow at Keele University, told Newsweek. “At the moment, Trump is still the favorite for the Republican nominees.”
It is uncertain whether Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would recommend that Trump serve time in prison.
The sentence will be eventually decided by the judge. However, the fact that the same DA’s office recently convicted the Trump Org for criminal fraud is seen as a sign that the case against Trump is strong.
The indictment against the 76-year-old consists of 34 class E felonies for falsification of business records. Bloom expects the charges to be about Trump’s attempts to “cover up evidence of an underlying crime, in this case the campaign nondisclosures.”
The case against Trump could be politically significant, as it could potentially damage his chances of running for president again in 2024.
He has not yet announced whether he will run for the presidency in 2024, but he has been actively fundraising and campaigning for Republican candidates in various elections.
Regardless of the outcome of the case, it is clear that the charges against Trump have serious implications for the future of American politics.
