Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced following his conviction for paying hush money to a porn star. The president-elect had attempted to delay the hearing, citing his upcoming inauguration in 10 days.

The New York state court is scheduled to deliver a sentence on Friday for US President-elect Donald Trump, following his criminal conviction tied to hush money payments to a porn star regarding an alleged sexual encounter. Trump, who is 78 years old and has claimed the charges were politically motivated, is expected to appear virtually at the hearing. This marks the culmination of the first-ever criminal case against a sitting US president.

Trump will have the opportunity to speak during the proceedings. While he is unlikely to face a jail sentence, the judge overseeing the six-week trial last year, Juan Merchan, has indicated that he does not intend to impose a jail term or a fine. However, even with an unconditional discharge, Trump’s permanent record will be tarnished by the guilty judgment.

Regardless of the outcome, Trump will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the US presidency. Just hours before the sentencing, Trump posted on his social media platform that he would appeal the case, expressing confidence in ultimately winning.

In March 2023, Trump, a Republican billionaire businessman turned politician, was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, with covering up the hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump faced 34 counts of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal a $130,000 payment made by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to Daniels. The payment was allegedly made to prevent Daniels from speaking out before the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won, about a claimed sexual encounter she had with him in 2006. Trump has denied the incident and argued that the case, along with other criminal indictments and civil lawsuits, was a politically motivated attempt by his opponents to use the justice system against him.

The jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts on May 30. The charge of falsifying business records can carry a penalty of up to four years in prison. The hush-money case is the only criminal case against Trump that has gone to trial, with his legal team challenging numerous aspects of the proceedings.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors have wrapped up two other cases in which Trump is accused of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and retaining classified documents after leaving the White House. These cases were not pursued further due to the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president, a position Trump will soon again hold.

Additionally, a remaining state case in Georgia regarding efforts to reverse the 2020 election results has been put on hold after a court disqualified the lead prosecutor, Fani Willis, in December. Trump has also faced civil lawsuits, including being found liable for sexual abuse in two defamation suits brought by journalist E. Jean Carroll, who was awarded a total of $88.4 million in damages.