Fact check: What were the specific felony charges filed against Donald Trump?

1. What the public claims say about the 34-count New York case and its specifics

Reporting and official statements identify the New York prosecution as 34 counts of falsifying business records, specifically linked to efforts to conceal a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels and allegedly hide damaging information from voters in 2016; the trial began in April 2024 and a conviction was announced May 30, 2024 ^{[1] [2]}. These accounts present the counts as charged under New York law and tied to business-record distortions, and they explicitly connect the indictment to the campaign-period objective of influencing the election. The reporting frames the scheme as one of concealment rather than standalone violence or fraud charges ^{[1] [2]}.

2. How court filings reflect — and sometimes omit — specific charge language

Accessible court documents referenced by state court portals do not always restate the plain-language media summary of counts; rather, the docket and filings focus on motions, jury instructions, and verdict forms, which can contain procedural details without restating each statutory allegation ^[5]. This means official filings may be procedural rather than descriptive, requiring reliance on charging instruments or press releases for distilled charge lists. The absence of easy-to-read, consolidated charge sheets in the public docket explains why journalists and the Manhattan DA’s office issued summaries to communicate the 34-count structure to the public ^[5].

3. How the 34 counts were characterized in contemporaneous coverage and by prosecutors

Prosecutors and contemporaneous coverage described the 34 counts as tied to a scheme to conceal information from voters and to falsify records to hide the payment’s true purpose and accounting treatment; the Manhattan DA framed the counts as criminal efforts to misrepresent business records rather than new categories like bribery or extortion ^{[2] [1]}. The conviction announcement and reporting on May 30, 2024, consistently emphasized falsified records as the statutory vehicle; that framing informs sentencing expectations and appellate strategies, which typically hinge on intent and materiality under New York law ^{[1] [2]}.

4. Where the other indictments fit into the overall picture of “charges against Trump”

Beyond New York’s falsified-records counts, a 2023 compilation of indictments lists distinct, separate prosecutions: handling classified documents in Florida, alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in D.C., and racketeering-related charges in Georgia; each indictment contains its own statutory framework and pleaded-not-guilty posture by Trump ^[3]. Those matters are separate judicial tracks with different elements and potential penalties, so referring to “the specific felony charges” requires specifying which case is meant. Summaries that conflate them risk obscuring differences in law, venue, and factual predicates ^[3].

5. What legal experts and reporting said about severity and penalties

Coverage and analysis note that New York’s 34-count falsifying-business-records charges are Class E felonies with a statutory maximum of up to four years per count, though commentators and analysts immediately flagged that aggregate prison time is practically unlikely and that fines, probation, or other outcomes are more typical in such cases ^{[4] [1]}. Sentencing expectations depend on sentencing guidelines, concurrent versus consecutive terms, and judicial discretion; media and legal analysts emphasized that convictions’ real-world consequences involve collateral effects like disqualification debates and appeals rather than guaranteed incarceration ^{[4] [1]}.

6. Timeline clarity: arrests, trial dates, conviction, and sentencing scheduling

The timeline across sources shows an April 15, 2024 trial start, a May 30, 2024 guilty verdict in Manhattan on the 34 falsified-records counts, and a sentencing date reported for July 11, 2024, reflecting a swift post-verdict scheduling by the court ^{[1] [2]}. Other indictments filed in 2023 proceeded on separate timetables with initial appearances and pleas entered; the D.C., Georgia, and Florida matters continued through pretrial litigation on their own schedules ^{[3] [6]}. Public documents and reporting often emphasize venue and timing because they shape political and legal strategy ^{[2] [6]}.

7. Discrepancies, gaps, and what remains unsettled in public records

The primary gap is that court dockets and filings available via the state portal are procedural and may not list the plain-language breakdown of charges, pushing reliance onto prosecutor statements and press reporting for specifics ^[5]. That creates room for divergent summaries in secondary sources; while multiple outlets report the same 34 counts and payment-related facts, researchers should note that official charging instruments and jury verdict sheets are the authoritative texts, even if less publicly digestible ^{[5] [1]}.

8. Bottom line for readers seeking a concise factual answer

The clearest, repeatedly reported, and legally consequential specific charges in New York were 34 felony counts of falsifying business records tied to concealing a payment during the 2016 campaign, culminating in a conviction announced May 30, 2024; other indictments in 2023 raised separate felony allegations in different jurisdictions, to which Trump pleaded not guilty ^{[1] [2] [3]}. For precise statutory language and charge-by-charge text, consult the charging instruments and verdict forms in the court record rather than secondary summaries, because docket entries emphasize procedure over charge recitation ^[5].