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What are the felony charges that Donald Trump has faced in the past?
Executive summary
Donald Trump has faced multiple felony charges across four jurisdictions during 2023–2025, most prominently 34 felony counts of first‑degree falsifying business records in New York tied to hush‑money payments, for which a jury convicted him on May 30, 2024 (34 counts) and he later received an unconditional discharge at sentencing on January 10, 2025 [1] [2]. Federal and Georgia prosecutions produced additional felony allegations — including a four‑count federal indictment in D.C. related to the 2020 election — but those matters were paused, dismissed, or otherwise procedurally altered as authorities and courts acted [3] [4].
1. The New York “hush‑money” felony convictions — 34 counts of falsifying business records
The single most concrete set of felony charges and outcomes is the Manhattan indictment charging Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, alleging those entries concealed payments tied to Stormy Daniels; a jury found him guilty on all 34 counts on May 30, 2024, and Judge Merchan later issued an unconditional discharge at sentencing on January 10, 2025 [1] [2]. New York law treats falsifying business records as a misdemeanor except when committed to conceal another crime, which can elevate it to a felony — that legal theory underpinned the first‑degree counts [1].
2. Federal election‑related case in Washington, D.C. — four counts in the Smith indictment
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Trump in August 2023 in connection with attempts to overturn the 2020 election; Ballotpedia and related summaries note a four‑count federal indictment charging conspiracy-based crimes tied to the certification process [3]. Reporting in the compiled sources indicates Special Counsel Jack Smith later moved to dismiss or pause aspects of federal proceedings after Trump’s 2024 election victory, and some filings sought dismissal without prejudice as questions about prosecuting a sitting president were litigated [3] [5].
3. Fulton County (Georgia) charges and procedural turmoil
Fulton County prosecutors brought state charges arising from post‑2020 election steps; the broader docket initially included numerous counts and defendants, but the Georgia case experienced pauses and prosecutorial disputes — notably the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the case in December 2024 and the prosecution’s continuation was later taken up by Pete Skandalakis after other complications [4]. Sources indicate the Georgia matter’s charges and progress changed over time, and that the case was among the four jurisdictions contributing to the cumulative count of felony allegations [4].
4. Southern District of Florida (classified documents/retention) and other federal matters
The provided Lawfare project points to coverage of Trump’s federal matters beyond D.C., including an indictment in the Southern District of Florida (the documents/retention prosecution) that produced superseding indictments in mid‑2023; available summaries place that case among the federal prosecutions tracked through 2023–2025 [5]. The aggregated sources list four jurisdictions — New York, D.C., Georgia, and Florida — as the main venues for felony charges during this period [5].
5. How many felony counts in total, and why numbers vary
Different outlets and summaries report varying totals (examples: “34” in New York alone; other reporting at times described as many as 91 felony charges across jurisdictions). The discrepancy stems from counting each individual charge in multiple indictments vs. grouping by case, plus later dismissals, pauses, and appellate activity that changed which counts remained active [1] [6]. The New Yorker summarized that at one point he was “facing ninety‑one felony charges in four jurisdictions,” showing how cumulative tabulations can differ depending on timing and inclusion criteria [6].
6. What outcomes and legal status the sources describe
Sources agree the New York trial produced guilty verdicts on 34 felony counts and that sentencing resulted in an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025 [1] [2]. Federal and Georgia matters were affected by procedural moves — appeals, motions to dismiss, questions about prosecutorial authority, and stays tied to Trump’s election — and several filings sought dismissal or pause; Ballotpedia and Lawfare record dismissals, pauses, and active appeals in various dockets [3] [5]. Available sources do not mention final dispositions for every individual charge in every jurisdiction because litigation remained ongoing, paused, or on appeal in multiple cases [4] [5].
7. Competing perspectives and possible agendas in the reporting
Coverage mixes factual docket reporting with political interpretation. Outlets like Lawfare and Ballotpedia provide case‑by‑case legal tracking [5] [3]; longer‑form pieces such as The New Yorker place the prosecutions in a political and historical narrative that emphasizes potential consequences and “what if” scenarios [6]. Readers should note that prosecutorial offices, defense teams, and partisan actors each have incentives to frame outcomes favorably; the sources supplied document both courtroom outcomes (conviction/discharge) and procedural claims about presidential immunity or prosecutorial disqualification that reflect competing legal strategies [2] [7].
Limitations: this summary uses only the provided sources and therefore may omit later developments or detailed charge‑by‑charge case law not present in those items; where the provided reporting does not specify a final result for a particular count or docket, I state that available sources do not mention a final disposition [4] [5].