Prison officials are readying facilities where former President Donald Trump will be detained after he was found guilty in the sham hush money trial in New York state.
The 77-year-old real estate-mogul-turned president is set to be sentenced on July 11 after being found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsification of business records. The verdict stemmed from alleged payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her silent about Trump's purported affair with her. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a progressive prosecutor bankrolled by Hungarian globalist billionaire George Soros, played a major role in securing Trump's guilty verdict.
The verdict shocked legal commentators in the U.S., who previously remarked that Trump would receive probation or home confinement. But given the verdict, they now believe that prison is possible. (Related: Donald Trump found GUILTY on all 34 charges in blatantly rigged New York trial, could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.)
But according to the Daily Mirror, Trump's conviction is at the state level – meaning that he would be housed in the Empire State. Thus, prison officials are readying possible facilities where he can be detained as a consequence of the verdict and be kept safe at the same time.
"Possible locations where Trump would be held were looked at when he continually broke his gag order and [Judge Juan Merchan] threatened him with jail," a source told the British tabloid. "The two locations that could ensure his safety are [Rikers Island's] west facility and the [Bellevue Hospital prison ward at the] 19th floor, run by the [New York City Department of Correction]."
"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."
Where will Trump be jailed?
Falsification of business records typically does not result in jail time – with home confinement or probation being more common outcomes, the Mirror reported, citing many legal experts.
But Trump's case is anything but typical. The 34 counts he was found guilty of, alongside his attacks against Merchan – who will decide his sentence – could prove detrimental to the former president.
According to the tabloid, the Rikers Island correctional facility in The Bronx could hold Trump if his sentence is under a year. It was originally built to house people suffering from contagious diseases.
Most high-profile detainees are housed in its VIP wing in the island's western area. It is mainly empty, and detainees placed there are typically given their own cells – away from the general population. Some detainees in Rikers' west wing include Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization who pleaded guilty during Trump's civil fraud trial presided by Judge Arthur Engoron.
Another alternative is the Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. The hospital's entire 19th floor consists of private rooms that serve as detention cells, keeping high-profile detainees away from the rest of the hospital. It was once used to house disgraced film producer and rapist Harvey Weinstein.
Complicating the situation is Trump's right to protection under the Secret Service, which the law guarantees to him and other former presidents for the rest of their lives. Secret Service agents will have to accompany Trump if he is jailed, so federal officials are now drafting plans on how to keep protecting the former president while in detention.
According to former Secret Service Deputy Director A.T. Smith, the reality of the job as an agent is "not always completely pleasant." Protection officers are only assigned for four to five years due to the difficult nature of the role, he continued.
Smith also revealed that agents he has spoken to have shown no emotion in response to the prospect of being assigned to guard Trump. "They're all professionals," the retired Secret Service director explained. "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."
Regardless of where Trump is jailed or whether he receives Secret Service protection while in custody or not, the former president has said he is OK with serving jail time or being under house arrest after his conviction.
Watch Gary Franchi of "Next News Network" discussing the Secret Service preparing for Trump's potential detention, through an emergency meeting with the New York City Police Department.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
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Trump will be found guilty in NYC and Bragg will try to imprison him.
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