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Trial against Trump: Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen, Allen Weisselberg, David Pecke, Karen McDougal Key players in the criminal case of the former US president

  • Author, By Madeline Halpert and Phil McCausland
  • Role, BBC News, New York

When former President Donald Trump takes to the defense table in the wood-paneled Manhattan courtroom in the coming weeks, some of the characters say they’re out of a Hollywood blockbuster, follow them.

We are given a long list of interesting potential witnesses – an adult film actress, a fixer turned star witness, a loyal money man convicted of tax fraud, a tabloid newspaper publisher, plus other people – who are qualified to testify.

A white-collar lawyer who did not stake his career on defending Trump is leading the president’s former defense team.

The first black district attorney in Manhattan has a crack team of Manhattan lawyers familiar with Oga Trump and my organization.

And the entire case is before a single judge of the New York Supreme Court, who has properly assessed Trump’s problems and behavior in the courtroom.

Trump is facing 34 charges for falsifying company records to hide hush money while paying a woman I was allegedly having an affair with.

Here are all the main characters you need to know as the first former president in US history. They are taken to court for a criminal case.

Judge from New York

Where this photo comes from Reuters

Judge Juan Merchan – by another New York judge – I am not spending time with Trump in the Manhattan courtroom.

The judge in the Trump Organization tax fraud case resulted in heavy fines and prison time for the company’s chief financial officer, Alan Weisselberg.

I mean the judge understands Trump’s tactics to delay, deny and deflect.

That behavior will likely irritate Judge Merchan. Although I may be soft-spoken, I gain a reputation as a no-nonsense lawyer.

I already silenced Trump once during jury selection.

Meanwhile, Trump takes to social media to say, “I never see a judge as confused as this,” and I’m not attacking Justice Merchan’s daughter – we work with one law firm, we work with the Democrats.

Dem have since banned Trump from speaking about his family of judges.

Manhattan lawyers

Where this photo comes from Reuters

Alvin Bragg – Manhattan District Attorney – become the first Black man to lead the Manhattan District Attorney’s office if elected in November 2021.

I am taking over the investigation into Trump and announcing that my office will file criminal charges against the former president this past April.

Bragg adopts a new legal theory that allows us to turn any crime, falsifying corporate documents, into a crime.

I allege that Trump changed his records to cover up a second crime: violation of New York campaign finance laws.

I believe the Trump campaign tried to hide the affair from voters before the 2016 election.

Legal experts are ambivalent when they go to work, but Bragg has an experienced team of government lawyers who know Trump intimately to argue the case.

Joshua Steinglass Lawyer for the Trump trial – help lead the prosecution of the Trump Organization, we lead to the conviction, and now they’re adding me to this team.

Oga Steinglass, we go straight to the efforts of lawyers for a trial, but do not try previously high-profile murder and manslaughter cases and many more violent crimes.

This prosecution team also includes Susan HoffingerHeadquarters’ investigative division has previously worked on the Trump Organization’s tax case; Christopher ConroyWe have been working on the Trump investigation the longest; And Rebecca Mangoldgoment lawyer specializes in economic crimes.

Former President Defense Team

Where this photo comes from Getty Images

Todd Blanche – Trump’s top lawyer – I’m a former federal prosecutor, a registered Democrat, and I live for New York City, but don’t carry all that dirt in at once.

Blanche leaves a very correct position, we work as a partner for a Wall Street law firm, become a Republican and move to Florida to take over the biggest client of my career: Oga Trump.

Some time ago I became a colleague of Alvin Bragg, the lawyer who prosecuted the former president, and Blanche will now sit on the other side of the courtroom starting tomorrow.

This will only be the second time. I’m just serving as a lawyer for some criminal case that’s going to trial.

Susan Necheles – Trump lawyer – has not represented Trump in cases as of 2021, but she has a long history of defending troublemaking politicians, real estate developers and organized crime figures – like Venero Mangano, we’re underboss of the Genovese crime family nicknamed Benny Eggs.

She represented the Trump Organization when she was found guilty of criminal tax fraud plus a $1.6 million fine for December 2022.

Gedalia Sterna partner for law firm Necheles, and Emil Bovea former federal attorney, both of them and also Trump’s defense team.

Potential witnesses

Where this photo comes from Getty Images

Stormy Daniels – adult film star – meets Oga Trump before 2006 for a celebrity golf tournament for Nevada.

She’s now 27 years old, but Daniels – real name Stephanie Clifford – has already become a rising star in the adult film industry.

She claims that Trump asked her for sex in an offensive manner, and that the two had sex shortly after the introduction.

Trump denies anything happened, but Daniels claims they gave her $130,000 (£105,000) – money that Trump Organization lawyer Michael Cohen – paid her just before the 2016 election to keep quiet about the affair.

Since her accusation became public, she has been regularly targeted by Trump and his supporters, but she says she was willing to testify against the former president.

Michael Cohen – repairman – started working as Trump’s personal lawyer in early 2006.

I plead guilty to federal campaign finance crimes for 2018 for paying the money to Ms. Daniels, but I insist I sent the money at Trump’s direction.

I allege that the former president is trying to cover up an accident and avoid scandal by reimbursing Cohen through a series of payments that they are recording as legal fees.

Trump calls my former friend a liar, and my legal team is trying to block Cohen’s testimony.

Once, Cohen says I’m going to take a bullet for the former president, but I later become a key witness for investigations into Trump – including the Robert Mueller investigation into allegations of the Trump campaign gang with the Kremlin.

Allen Weisselberg – the convicted money man – I will be a regular face in the criminal trial, although I cannot testify.

The Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer, Weisselberg, is said to have arranged for Trump to repay and help cover the arrears.

Weisselberg is no stranger to the former president’s legal troubles.

Before August 2022, the director of the Trump Organization pleads guilty to tax fraud, falsification of data and other crimes.

An investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into the Trump Organization led to an indictment.

Where this photo comes from Getty Images

As part of the implication agreement, I served 100 days in jail and also agreed to testify for the ongoing case against the Trump Company.

Later I will testify at a civil trial in New York against Trump, but I will soon have to plead guilty to two charges of lying under oath.

The court sentences him to a further five months in prison on April 10.

David Pecker – tabloid publisher – a former CEO of American Media Inc. (AMI), the parent company of National Enquirer.

When I lead the tabloid newspaper, I will pursue the practice of catch-and-kill in support of Trump’s 2016 presidential run.

I do this by buying the rights to stories that put Trump in a bad light.

I will then refuse to publish them, and therefore effectively suppress the harmful information.

Karen McDougal – a Playboy model – claim I had an illicit affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007, but the former president denies.

She says American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, is paying her $150,000 for her story. I force her to keep quiet about the so-called meeting.

Dino Sajudin – as a former Trump Tower doorman – I am qualified to take this position.

Trump’s team also reportedly paid money after I tried to sell a story to the National Enquirer about a Trump rumored extramarital affair.