The air in Lower Manhattan last May was thick. Not just with that swampy New York humidity, but with a tension you could basically feel in your teeth. We all watched the "Breaking News" banners flicker across every screen in the country. 12 regular people—nurses, software engineers, teachers—sat in a room and did something that had never happened in 248 years of American history. They looked at a former president and said, "Guilty."
But honestly, if you ask five people on the street exactly what felonies was trump convicted of, you’ll probably get five different answers. Some think it was about the money itself. Others think it was about the affair. A few might even tell you it was a federal election crime.
It wasn't. Not exactly.
The 34 Counts Explained (Simply)
Let’s get the big number out of the way. Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree. Every single count was identical in its legal name. It feels like a lot, right? 34 separate felonies? But when you peel back the legalese, it’s actually a very specific paper trail. Basically, the prosecution argued that Trump didn't just tell one lie; he told 34 lies across different documents to hide a single $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
In New York, falsifying business records is usually just a misdemeanor—kinda like a legal slap on the wrist. But it jumps to a Class E felony if you do it to hide another crime. That’s the "hook" Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg used. He argued the "other crime" was a conspiracy to promote an election by unlawful means.
The Paper Trail Break-Down
The 34 counts weren't just pulled out of a hat. They correspond to specific pieces of paper generated in 2017:
- 11 Invoices: Michael Cohen, Trump’s former "fixer," sent these monthly.
- 12 Ledger Entries: These were the internal records in the Trump Organization’s accounting system.
- 11 Checks: These were the actual payments. Nine were signed by Trump himself while he was sitting in the Oval Office.
Each time a check was cut or an entry was made calling these reimbursements "legal expenses" instead of "hush money repayments," a new felony count was born. It’s sorta like if you lied on your taxes ten times; you don't just get charged once. You get charged for every single lie.
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Why Falsifying Records Became a Felony
You’ve probably heard people argue that "hush money isn't illegal." And technically, they're right. You can pay someone to stay quiet about a secret. It happens in corporate settlements all the time.
The problem here—at least according to the jury—wasn't the payment itself. It was the intent to defraud.
Prosecutors Matthew Colangelo and Joshua Steinglass laid out a narrative that this wasn't just a private matter. They called it a "catch and kill" scheme. The goal? To keep the American public from hearing a story that could have tanked the 2016 election, especially right after the "Access Hollywood" tape dropped.
Because the jury found that Trump falsified those records to cover up an illegal conspiracy to influence the election, the charges were bumped from misdemeanors to felonies.
The Michael Cohen Factor
You can't talk about these convictions without talking about Michael Cohen. He was the star witness, the guy who actually wired the $130,000.
The defense, led by Todd Blanche, hammered Cohen. They called him the "GLOAT"—the Greatest Liar of All Time. They pointed to his past perjury convictions and his clear hatred for his former boss. Honestly, for a minute there, it looked like the jury might not buy it.
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But the prosecution didn't just rely on Cohen’s word. They had the receipts. Literally.
They showed the jury handwritten notes from Allen Weisselberg (the former Trump Org CFO) that laid out the math for the reimbursement. They showed the checks. They showed the call logs. It was a "mountain of evidence," as Bragg put it. Even if you didn't trust Cohen, the paper trail was hard to ignore.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Verdict
There's a lot of noise out there. Let’s clear up a few things that keep popping up in social media arguments.
First, Trump was not convicted of "hush money." As we mentioned, that’s not a crime. He was convicted of falsifying records.
Second, this was a state trial, not a federal one. This is a huge distinction because it means a president cannot pardon himself for these specific crimes. The pardon power only applies to federal offenses.
Third, the jury didn't have to agree on what the "secondary crime" was. This part is kinda weird and tripped up a lot of legal analysts. Judge Juan Merchan instructed the jury that they had to be unanimous that Trump falsified the records to hide a crime, but they could disagree on whether that crime was a tax violation, a federal election law violation, or something else.
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The 2026 Context: Where Are We Now?
It’s been over a year and a half since that verdict in May 2024. If you’re looking at the landscape today in 2026, the legal ripples are still moving.
Trump's legal team has fought every inch of the way. They’ve filed appeal after appeal, citing everything from "presidential immunity" (following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling) to claims of "judicial bias." In early 2025, we saw major motions to dismiss the case "in the interest of justice" given his status as President-elect and then President.
The case has essentially entered a state of legal limbo. While the 34 felony convictions still technically sit on his record, the actual "punishment" phase—sentencing—became a massive constitutional knot. Can you sentence a sitting president? Can you put him on probation? These are questions that legal scholars like Lawrence Tribe and Jonathan Turley are still debating on cable news every night.
Practical Implications of the Convictions
Even with the presidency, being a convicted felon has real-world effects:
- Travel Restrictions: Some countries (like Canada or the UK) have strict rules about letting felons across their borders. While world leaders usually get a pass, the paperwork is a nightmare.
- Firearm Ownership: Under federal law, a person convicted of a felony is generally prohibited from possessing firearms.
- Voting Rights: This depends on the state. In Florida, where Trump is a resident, his right to vote depends on whether he has completed his sentence. Since the sentence has been indefinitely delayed, his status remains a point of contention for Florida election officials.
Key Takeaways for Staying Informed
If you're trying to keep the facts straight in a conversation, just remember these three points:
- The Count: It was 34 counts, all for "Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree."
- The Level: These are Class E felonies, the lowest tier of felonies in New York State.
- The Reason: The conviction happened because the jury believed the records were faked to influence the 2016 election through "unlawful means."
Next Steps for You
If you want to see the actual documents the jury looked at, you can find the full indictment and the verdict sheet on the New York State Unified Court System website. Reading the actual "Count 1, Count 2..." list gives you a much better sense of how repetitive and specific the charges were.
You might also want to look into the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling on Presidential Immunity, as that is the primary tool the defense is using in 2026 to try and get these convictions vacated. Understanding how "official acts" vs. "private acts" are defined is basically the key to the whole legal puzzle right now.