With Donald J. Trump’s unprecedented felony conviction on Thursday, what has long been a remote and abstract concept could move closer to a stunning reality: a former president of the United States behind bars.
But that wouldn’t happen fast.
A jury in Manhattan convicted Mr. Trump of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, a crime that under New York State law carries a possible sentence that ranges from probation to four years in prison.
But Mr. Trump is no ordinary defendant. And while most experts think a prison sentence is unlikely, the judge in the case, Juan M. Merchan, has made it known that he takes white-collar crime seriously. The judge set sentencing for July 11.
If Justice Merchan hands down a punishment that lands the former president behind bars — what is known as a custodial sentence — Mr. Trump would be no ordinary prisoner.
That’s because the United States Secret Service is required by law to protect former presidents around the clock, which means its agents would have to protect Mr. Trump inside a prison if he was sentenced to serve time.
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