Trump faces more indictments, fines and possible jail time as legal problems mount

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As Donald Trump looks to secure the Republican presidential nomination and win a second term in the White House, he will also have to navigate a legal minefield that could include as many as four criminal indictments and at least two civil lawsuits.

While a losing verdict in the civil cases means Trump could be required to pay millions of dollars in damages, being found guilty of future crimes could result in prison time. That would certainly affect his ability to run a campaign for president or serve in that capacity for a second term.

Former President Donald Trump at the Turning Point Action Conference in West Palm Beach, Fla., on July 15. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

Here’s where things stand:

Classified incriminating documents

Aileen Cannon speaks remotely during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination as a US District Court judge in July 2020. (US Senate via AP)

Scheduled start date: May 20, 2024

In June, Trump was indicted on 37 felony counts stemming from his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House. He is not guilty.

If a jury in Florida finds Trump guilty of the charges against him, he will almost certainly face the prospect of a prison sentence, but the length of that will be decided by Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who has issued rulings in the case in favor of the former president. But Cannon also rejected a motion by Trump’s lawyers to move the trial until after the 2024 election.

New York hush money indictment

Stormy Daniels attended the Exxxotica Expo on April 22 in Rosemont, Ill. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Scheduled start date: March 25, 2024

In April, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign to prevent her from disclosing their alleged extramarital affair.

The felony charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of falsifying business records carry a maximum prison sentence of four years, and if Trump is convicted on all 34 counts, he could, in theory, see up to 136 years behind bars. Most legal experts say that even if he is found guilty on all charges, such a sentence is unlikely.

A Jan. 6 indictment is pending

Violent insurrectionists loyal to then-President Trump stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. (John Minchillo, File/AP)

Last week Trump revealed that he was sent a “target letter” by special counsel Jack Smith notifying him that he was the subject of a possible criminal investigation in Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the US Capitol and the efforts to illegally overturn the 2020 election results.

The story continues

Target letters often indicate that criminal charges are imminent, and in this case they likely included obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States and insurrection, all of which carry potentially heavy prison sentences upon conviction.

Georgia election interference indictment possible

Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis on April 19 in Atlanta. (Brynn Anderson, File/AP)

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has indicated that criminal charges against Trump could be filed next month in connection with his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Willis is said to be preparing racketeering charges against Trump involving witness tampering and computer crimes in an effort to convince state election officials to return election results in the battleground state in his direction. Trump’s lawyers have asked two Georgia courts to disqualify the Willis investigation before the charges are filed. Last week the Georgia Supreme Court refused to do so. In Georgia, conviction on racketeering charges carries a minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum of 20.

E. Civil case of Jean Carroll

E. Jean Carroll appears in federal court in Manhattan on May 9 in New York. (John Minchillo, File/AP)

Scheduled start date: Jan. 15, 2024

Last week, a federal judge denied Trump’s request for a new trial in a sexual assault and defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, and refused to drop the $5 million in damages awarded to Carroll by a jury.

Following the preliminary verdict in May in a case centered on Trump’s alleged sexual assault of Carroll at a New York department store, Trump appeared in a CNN town hall and immediately repeated many of the inflammatory statements he had made against Carroll. In response, Carroll added new defamation charges and is seeking another $10 million from the former president.

Trump Org. civil case of fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James at a ceremony in June 2022 in New York. (Mary Altaffer, File/AP)

Scheduled start date: Oct. 2, 2023

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization, alleging that the company and family members of the former president cooked the books, lying to lenders and insurers about the value of real estate properties to get favorable terms.

While Donald Trump, his sons Eric and Don Jr. and his daughter Ivanka were all named in James’ $250 million suit, a judge dismissed the claims against Ivanka Trump in June.

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