Former U.S. President Trump was found guilty on May 30, 2024, of 34 felonies of falsifying business records during his trial in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York.
Stephen Hirsch | via Reuters
Former President Trump is scheduled to conduct a virtual interview Monday with New York City probation officers from his Mar-a-Lago home with his attorney, Todd Blanche, who was found guilty on all counts. Last month, three sources familiar with the matter spoke to NBC News about it.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was found guilty last month on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a landmark case. The probation interview is required by the court as part of the former president’s pre-sentence report.
Judge Juan Mercan, who is handling the silencing case, allowed Blanche to attend her probation interview via video call after prosecutors raised no objections. Trump’s defense team is scheduled to submit a sentencing recommendation on June 13.
The former president is scheduled to be sentenced on all 34 felonies in New York on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention begins.
Some legal experts pointed out that although it is unusual for a probation interview to be conducted via video call, it would also be unusual for a former president to receive probation in New York.
Former New York City Department of Corrections and Custodian Director Martin Horn told NBC News, “It is very unusual for a pre-sentence investigative interview to be conducted via Zoom,” and acknowledged that President Trump had visited in person. The probation office would be “very disruptive.”
“However, it could be argued that Trump showing up in the probation office on the 10th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Court building where the trial took place, followed by the Secret Service and media, would be very disruptive to the office and unfair to the other defendants.” “There may be people who don’t want to reveal it,” he said. “So in the end, this might be better for the probation officer.”
Horn noted that the general purpose of the probation interview is to obtain information about Trump’s social and criminal history, financial resources, mental health history, physical or addiction problems, and assess his living situation.
Horn said Trump may be asked whether he associates with people with criminal records because he cannot associate with them if he is on probation. Probation officers may want to interview other people at Trump’s home later. Officers typically address inquiries in one session, but there may be follow-up interviews. The probation officer then writes a report and delivers it to Merchan.
The former president faces anything from probation to up to four years in prison. Some legal experts have argued that it is unlikely that President Trump will receive prison time due to several factors, including his age and lack of criminal record.
Defense attorney Duncan Levin, a former Manhattan prosecutor, said prosecutors would likely seek a prison sentence.
Levine said Trump’s lawyer, Blanche, was in attendance and that any questions would not put his client in legal jeopardy. A hearing may seem like an unnecessary step since Trump is one of the most scrutinized public figures, but it is the court’s way of determining who he is beyond what was revealed during the trial.
“It’s unlikely the judge will move the needle because he knows so much about his background,” Levin said, referring to probation hearings.
Levine also accused Trump’s self-proclaimed former fixer Michael Cohen, who served as the prosecution’s star witness, on a series of federal charges including a merch gag order against Trump and lying to Congress after Trump attacked his family. It was pointed out that . .
“A type E felony carries a prison sentence, so in this case, he was sentenced to prison, and was held in contempt 10 times without showing any remorse, but the judge warned him that he would be sent to prison if he violated the gag order. He repeated this several times after going to prison. “And interfering with the election process is a record violation as serious as what occurred in the New York courts,” Levin said.
