Donald Trump found guilty in hush-money case

The 12-member jury has found Donald Trump guilty across the board in the case over a payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels and the ensuing cover-up. He is the first US ex-president to be convicted of a felony. 

Trump was found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a criminal hush-money scheme to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. The jury had to reach a unanimous verdict after the six-week trial in New York. If they disagreed, the case could be retried with a new jury. In less than 12 hours of deliberations, however, the jurors found the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party guilty.

Prosecutors claimed Trump falsified business records when he reimbursed his former attorney Michael Cohen for the 130,000 dollar payment to Daniels and recorded it as legal fees. They said he did so to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential race.

While Trump's poll numbers have remained unchanged during the process, they could change at any moment. The former president now risks a jail sentence, although a fine or suspended sentence is more likely.

^{Donald Trump returns to the courtroom during his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City © PHOTO JUSTIN LANE / POOL / AFP}