Prison bosses are preparing to house Donald Trump if he is sentenced to jail following his hush money conviction. Several facilities have been identified that could offer the former president a cell while keeping him safe.
Trump, 77, is set to be sentenced on July 11 after being found guilty of 34 felony counts last month over falsifying business records to stop adult actress Stormy Daniels speaking about alleged extramarital sex with him.
It left US legal commentators, who previously argued he would receive probation or home confinement, believing prison is now possible. Trump has been convicted at the State level, so he would be housed in New York.
If Trump faces more than one year in jail, New York law requires his sentence be served in a penal facility. However, if his sentence is shorter than a year, it will be served in a correctional facility, such as the notorious Rikers Island jail, in the Bronx.
Rikers was originally built to house people suffering from contagious diseases. Most high-profile detainees are housed in its VIP west facility.
The facility is mainly empty,and detainees placed there, such as former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, 76, are typically given their own cells away from other people.
Another alternative is a private room inside Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward on a floor away from all other detainees. This was once used to house Harvey Weinstein.
A source told the Mirror: “Possible locations where Trump would be held were looked at when he continually broke his gag order and the trial judge threatened him with jail. The two locations that could ensure his safety are Riker’s west facility and Bellevue’s 19th floor, run by the corrections department.”
The situation is further complicated by Trump’s right to Secret Service protection. It is understood that chiefs are working on plans for how their agents will continue to protect him if he is jailed.
By law, former presidents are entitled to round-the-clock security for the rest of their lives, meaning security staff will have to accompany Trump if he is jailed.
AT Smith, a former deputy director of the US Secret Service said the reality of the job as an agent is “not always com-pletely pleasant” and that protection officers are only assigned for four to five years due to the difficult nature of the role.
He revealed that agents he has spoken to have shown no emotion in response to the prospect. He added: “They’re all professionals, they understand that world events can change on a dime and they are ready to do whatever is necessary to protect the former president under the law.”
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According to many legal experts, falsification of business records typically does not result in jail time, with home confinement or probation being more common outcomes. However, Trump’s case is anything but typical.
The number of guilty verdicts and his ongoing attacks against Judge Juan Merchan, who will decide his sentence next month, could potentially backfire.
In an interview that aired last week Trump has said he is “OK” with serving jail time or being under house arrest following his historic conviction.
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