Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is leading the first civil lawsuit against a U.S. president.
The trial, scheduled to begin April 15, focuses on 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records against Trump. That would be a capital offense that could result in a sentence in New York's Riker's Island prison complex or in state prison. Also at issue is $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Prosecutors believe the entire scheme is a potential violation of federal and state election laws and state tax laws. However, Trump was not charged with any other crime in this case, so the charge of falsifyingBusiness records is unusual. In Manhattan, there were 42 cases during the same period in which falsifying records was the primary charge - like Trump's case - according to data from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. In New York, falsifyingbusiness records is a misdemeanor unless the prosecution can prove that the defendant acted with the intent to commit another crime. In this case the charge can be raised to a Class E felony, the state's lowest felony.