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What specific criminal charges did the Manhattan DA file against Donald Trump and when were they filed?
Executive summary
The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, charged Donald J. Trump in spring 2023 with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree tied to efforts to conceal a $130,000 hush‑money payment to Stormy Daniels; the indictment was announced March 30, 2023 and unsealed April 4, 2023 (grand jury vote) [1]. A jury convicted Trump on all 34 counts in May 2024 and sentencing and post‑conviction proceedings unfolded through 2024–2025, including delays and an eventual January 10, 2025 disposition referenced in reporting [2] [3] [4].
1. What exactly the DA charged: “34 counts of falsifying business records”
The Manhattan indictment accused Trump of 34 felony counts alleging he falsified business records to conceal a scheme surrounding a $130,000 payment by his then‑lawyer to adult film actress Stormy Daniels; prosecutors argued the records were falsified to hide the payment’s true purpose and thereby facilitate concealment of conduct that could influence the 2016 election [4] [5]. Multiple outlets summarize the charge as 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree and tie the alleged underlying conduct to reimbursements to Michael Cohen and related bookkeeping [1] [6].
2. When the charges were filed and unsealed
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announced that a grand jury had returned an indictment on March 30, 2023; that indictment was unsealed in early April 2023 (April 4 is cited in several timelines) showing the 34 counts voted by the grand jury [1] [7]. Reporting timelines and compilations identify March–April 2023 as the moment the Manhattan case formally became public [1] [7].
3. Trial, conviction and immediate aftermath (dates and outcomes)
The criminal trial in New York began in April 2024, culminating in a jury verdict in late May 2024 finding Trump guilty on all 34 falsifying business records counts [3] [8]. Coverage notes that the verdict made him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes in U.S. history [8] [6]. Sentencing and post‑conviction scheduling were then subject to motions and delays tied to appellate claims about presidential immunity and the 2024 election cycle [3] [9].
4. Sentencing and subsequent procedural developments through early 2025
After the May 2024 conviction, sentencing dates were postponed repeatedly amid litigation over immunity issues and the 2024 election; courts and prosecutors delayed actions in late 2024 and early 2025 before Judge Juan Merchan set a January 10, 2025 hearing and ultimately issued what reporting describes as an unconditional discharge on that date [9] [3] [4]. Reuters and other outlets record that the 34 convictions carried statutory exposure up to four years under New York law, though prosecutors and the judge weighed practical considerations given Trump’s election status [2] [8].
5. How this case fits with competing legal views and appeals
Trump’s legal team has consistently denied wrongdoing, pleaded not guilty, and framed the prosecution as politically motivated; they filed appeals challenging the indictment, conviction, and the admission of certain evidence, arguing among other things that presidential immunity and federal law should bar or overturn the state conviction [10] [11] [12]. Prosecutors, and coverage summarizing the indictment, maintain the falsified records were intended to conceal a scheme to influence the 2016 election—an explanation the DA used to elevate what might otherwise be misdemeanors into felonies under New York law [13] [4].
6. What the available reporting does not say or leaves open
Available sources in this set do not provide full text of the indictment line‑by‑line here, so granular itemization of every subsection or charge wording beyond the repeated “34 counts of falsifying business records” is not quoted in these summaries [1] [7]. They also do not settle longer‑term appellate outcomes beyond filings and early appeals — reporting shows appeals were filed and motions were pending but final appellate resolutions are not included in the provided items [11] [2].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking the simple answer
The Manhattan DA filed an indictment in late March/early April 2023 that was unsealed showing 34 felony counts alleging falsification of business records in the first degree related to hush‑money payments; that indictment led to a trial in April–May 2024 resulting in conviction on all 34 counts, followed by sentencing delays and post‑conviction litigation into 2025 [1] [3] [8].