Former U.S. president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City.
Photo: Justin Lane/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Since a Manhattan jury handed down its guilty verdict last month, Donald Trump has been slowly introduced to the different aspects of life as a convicted felon. Last week, there were reports that the NYPD intends to revoke Trump’s license to carry a gun in the city. On Monday, Trump will mark another milestone: his first meeting with a probation officer.
NBC News reported that Trump was set to sit for a presentencing interview with a probation officer on Monday, ahead of the sentencing hearing on July 11. Unlike the average person facing sentencing, he won’t be required to travel into the city for an appointment. Instead, Trump has been given the option to appear virtually from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate. Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche will be allowed to attend the meeting, which is also unusual for the typical New Yorker facing sentencing; Judge Juan Merchan approved Blanche’s request, which received no objections from the prosecution.
In the interview, Trump will likely be asked to provide a detailed history of his personal life, including his family, marriage, education, and employment and criminal history. This also includes looking into an individual’s health and psychological background and whether they have any history of alcohol or substance abuse, per the city’s Probation Department. Trump will have the opportunity to make a good impression and state his case for why he deserves a lighter sentence. The officer will then file a presentencing report, which will be used by Merchan in his decision-making as he considers the historic sentencing.
The sentence could be hefty after Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after directing Michael Cohen to pay $130,000 to Stormy Daniels in order to suppress her account of an alleged affair before the 2016 election. Trump has vowed to appeal the verdict and has been free without bail since his conviction. He faces up to four years on each count but could ultimately receive no prison time owing to his lack of a criminal record.
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