The New York judge presiding over US President-elect Donald Trump’s case set the sentence for 10 days before the Republican leader’s inauguration on January 20 and said he was not willing to impose prison sentences.
Judge Juan Merchán said Trump, the first former president convicted of a crime, can appear in person or virtually at his Jan. 10 sentencing.
In an 18-page decision released today, Merchan rejected several motions by Trump’s lawyers seeking to have his conviction overturned.
The judge said that instead of incarceration he was leaning toward unconditional release, a much more lenient sentence that would nonetheless see Trump enter the White House as a convicted felon.
“It seems appropriate at this time to make known the court’s inclination not to impose any sentence of incarceration,” the judge said, noting that prosecutors also did not believe a prison sentence was a “viable recommendation.”
