MANHATTAN, NY – Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced on Tuesday the indictment of Donald J. Trump, 76, for allegedly falsifying New York business records to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity before and after the 2016 election. Trump is charged with 34 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.
Court documents and statements reveal that Trump employed a “catch and kill” scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him during the election. The scheme involved payments concealed through months of false business entries. Instances include payments made by American Media Inc. (AMI) to a former Trump Tower doorman and a woman who alleged a sexual relationship with Trump. Additionally, the Trump Organization illegally disguised reimbursement checks as payment for legal services.
Trump is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and all factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.