Here’s what to know as prosecution rests case in the People of New York vs Donald J Trump

After four days of jury selection and 15 days of testimony from 19 witnesses, Manhattan prosecutors have rested their case in the People of New Yorkvs Donald J Trump.

The prosecution’s case culminated with former attorney Michael Cohen’s four-day testimony, alleging that Mr Trump personally directed his “fixer” to pay hush money to an adult film star to block politically compromising stories of his affairs from reaching voters in the fragile weeks before the 2016 election.

Closing arguments in the former president’s historic criminal trial will begin next week after Mr Trump’s defense team presents its case.

Jurors will begin deliberations as soon as next week. A verdict in the first criminal trial against a current or former president could arrive before June.

Here are the key moments from the prosecution’s case:

On 22 April, the first day of trial, prosecutors plainly explained the stakes of the case to the 12 jurors and six alternates selected.

“This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up,” assistant district attorney Matthew Colangelo said in the prosecution’s opening statement.

“The defendant Donald Trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his business records, over and over and over again.”

Mr Trump is accused of falsifying business records by labeling a series of payments in 2017 to his then-attorney Michael Cohen as a “retainer” and “legal expense”. But prosecutors argue that Mr Trump – who was the president at the time – was actually reimbursing his “fixer” for a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, to stop her speaking out in the days before the 2016 election about an alleged