Former President Trump to Be Arraigned in New York City for Hush-Money Payment to Adult Film Actress Stormy Daniels

Former President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned in New York City on Tuesday following a long-running probe into his role in paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 on the eve of the 2016 election to keep quiet about an alleged affair. The indictment is expected to be unsealed Tuesday, laying out the first criminal charges ever filed against a former president. District Attorney Alvin Bragg is leading the investigation, which has been ongoing since 2019, and has gathered evidence from multiple sources, including former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who admitted to breaking campaign finance laws in arranging the payment to Daniels.

Key Takeaways:

The indictment charges Trump with falsifying business records in reimbursing his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the payout to Daniels.
The investigation has been ongoing since 2019 and has been led by District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump has denied the affair, but has admitted to reimbursing Cohen for the payment.
Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, has cooperated with federal investigators and has testified before the grand jury, saying that Trump needs to be held accountable for his "dirty deeds".
Allen Weisselberg, the former top financial officer for Trump's business, has implicated himself in tax fraud and other crimes, but has not implicated Trump in any criminal activity.
David Pecker, the former CEO of American Media, allegedly helped broker the $130,000 payment to Daniels.
Robert Costello, a former lawyer for Cohen and Trump, testified before the grand jury, saying that the request to appear came from Trump's legal team.

Statistics:

$130,000: The amount paid to Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen to keep quiet about the alleged affair.
2019: The year the investigation by District Attorney Alvin Bragg into Trump's business activities began.
2021: The year Alvin Bragg was elected district attorney of New York County.
5 months: The prison sentence imposed on Allen Weisselberg for tax fraud, grand larceny, and other crimes.
60,000: The age of Trump at the time of the alleged affair with Stormy Daniels in 2006.

Sources:

"Trump Told Me I Needed to Keep Quiet About Trump Trump", by Stephanie Clifford, In Touch Weekly, 2011.
"Court testimony reveals Trump's secret payment to Stormy Daniels", by David Fahrenthold and Rachel Weiner, The Washington Post, March 21, 2018.
"Michael Cohen Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Campaign Finance Crimes", by Maggie Haberman and Katie Benner, The New York Times, December 12, 2018.
"Weisselberg Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud and Larceny", by Michael Rothfeld, The Wall Street Journal, August 18, 2022.
"Trump Organization Found Guilty of Felony Tax Fraud", by Matthew Goldstein, The New York Times, December 6, 2022.