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What are the specific 34 felony counts charged against Donald Trump and what statutes do they cite?
Executive summary
The available sources report that Donald Trump was charged and convicted in New York of 34 felony counts, all described as falsifying business records in the first degree under New York law, tied to payments related to Stormy Daniels; the indictment listed 34 separate documents dated Feb–Dec 2017 and cited New York Penal Law §175.10 (reported in multiple accounts) [1] [2] [3]. Coverage also notes Trump was later sentenced to an “unconditional discharge,” meaning no further penalties, and he has appealed the conviction [4] [5].
1. What the 34 counts are — the concise statutory label
The indictment charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, i.e., violations of New York Penal Law §175.10, with each count tied to a separate business record that prosecutors say was falsified to conceal a 2016 election-related payment to Stormy Daniels [1] [2]. Multiple reporting outlets and public summaries consistently characterize all 34 counts under that single statute [3] [6].
2. How the counts were framed factually by prosecutors
Prosecutors linked each count to individual business documents dated between February 14 and December 5, 2017, alleging they were altered or falsified to hide costs and reimbursements tied to a $420,000 transaction intended as hush-money for Daniels; the indictment described the falsifications as part of an effort to conceal the true nature of the payments [2] [1]. Reporting emphasizes the prosecution’s narrative that the falsified records were part of a scheme to influence the 2016 election, though the core statutory charge is business-record falsification [1].
3. The statute cited and its legal significance
The reporting and case summaries identify New York Penal Law §175.10 as the charged statute for falsifying business records in the first degree [1] [2]. Under the coverage provided, that statute elevates a falsified business-records offense to a felony when the falsification is committed with intent to commit or conceal another crime, which is why prosecutors alleged the falsifications were linked to other criminal conduct [1]. Available sources explicitly cite §175.10 as the legal basis for the 34-count indictment [1].
4. Outcome and post-conviction developments
A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts in May 2024, making him the first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes; later, at sentencing in January 2025 the judge issued an “unconditional discharge,” meaning Trump remained a convicted felon under state law but received no fine, jail time, or probation [6] [4] [3]. He filed an appeal seeking to overturn the conviction, and reporting documents that appeal activity continued into late 2025 [5] [7].
5. What the public record does and does not list about each individual count
The criminal-trial summaries note that each of the 34 counts corresponds to a particular document and date (Feb–Dec 2017) rather than 34 distinct statutory offenses — they are 34 repetitions of the single felony charge of falsifying business records in the first degree [2]. Available sources do not provide a line-by-line transcription of each count in this set of search results; the indictment’s detailed counts are summarized in the trial reporting but not fully reproduced here [2] [1].
6. Competing perspectives and legal debate reported
Prosecutors argued the falsified entries concealed an unlawful reimbursement scheme tied to election-related conduct and therefore elevated the office-record falsifications to felonies [1]. Defense counsels characterized the prosecution as politically motivated and have urged dismissal or reversal, language reflected in appeal filings and press coverage that calls the case “manufactured” [5]. News outlets and legal summaries record both positions: the prosecution’s statutory theory under §175.10 and the defense’s contention that the matter should not have led to felony convictions [5] [6].
7. Limitations, remaining questions, and where to look next
The compiled sources consistently identify the 34 counts as falsifying business records in the first degree under NY Penal Law §175.10 and link them to discrete documents related to that $420,000 transaction [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not provide a full, enumerated text of each of the 34 charging paragraphs here; readers seeking the exact phrasing of every count should consult the unsealed indictment or court docket itself, which is referenced by news coverage but not reproduced in these search results [2] [1].
Summary: reporting uniformly presents the 34 counts as repeated violations of NY Penal Law §175.10 (falsifying business records in the first degree), each count tied to a specific recorded document and date connected to the hush-money payments; the conviction, sentence of unconditional discharge, and ensuing appeal are likewise documented in the cited accounts [1] [4] [5].