Donald Trump Could Face Prison, Probation Or A Slap On The Wrist

After being found guilty by a Manhattan jury last week on 34 counts of falsifying business records, former President Donald Trump will soon face the consequences for his crimes. As conjecture swirls about what his sentencing could look like, two Manhattan criminal defense attorneys are cautioning observers to temper their expectations.

When New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan hands down Trump’s sentence next month, he’ll have the option to put the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on probation, give him community service or even incarcerate him.

But because Trump was convicted of Class E felonies — the lowest-tier felony in New York — a more likely sentence may be a simple conditional discharge, Manhattan criminal defense attorney Lance Fletcher told HuffPost.

“A conditional discharge is basically a suspended jail sentence,” said Fletcher, who was a Manhattan assistant district attorney from 2004 to 2008.

If that’s the sentence Merchan goes with, the judge could set rules for Trump to follow for the next three years — including that he can’t break the law — in exchange for sparing him other punishments.

“In other words, you have to go to jail if you don’t do what the judge says,” Fletcher said.

If Merchan sentences Trump to probation, the former president would have to answer to a probation officer rather than a judge. He could also have his interstate travel restricted — an outcome that could severely complicate his 2024 presidential bid.

“I would be shocked if they gave him probation because of all the ways it could invite a legal showdown, including the fact that he’d have to ask permission to travel outside of New York,” Fletcher said.

Robert Tsigler, another Manhattan criminal defense attorney,