I fed the court transcript from US vs Trump into a New York Law GPT and asked it to pretend to be juror. I then told it to decide each of the charges. This is what it concluded.

You can find the whole chat-log here: https://chatgpt.com/share/ec5a6d5d-95b0-4e54-9741-80a584b9d2ca

This is the summary:

Evaluating the charges as a juror requires an impartial review of the evidence presented and an assessment based on the legal standards. Here are the charges and the analysis of the evidence:

Charge: Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree (New York Penal Law § 175.10)

Elements to Prove

1. False Entry in Business Records
2. Intent to Defraud
3. Intent to Commit Another Crime or to Aid or Conceal the Commission of Another Crime

Evaluation of Evidence

1. False Entry in Business Records

   • Evidence: Michael Cohen testified that he was reimbursed by the Trump Organization for the hush money payments, which were recorded as legal expenses. Testimonies from other witnesses and financial documents support this.
   • Conclusion: The evidence shows that the entries made in the business records did not reflect the true nature of the payments (i.e., hush money rather than legal fees).

2. Intent to Defraud

   • Evidence: Cohen’s testimony indicated that Trump was aware of the need to conceal the true purpose of the payments. David Pecker’s testimony further supports that Trump was involved in discussions about these payments and their concealment.
   • Conclusion: The evidence suggests that the entries were intentionally misleading to prevent the public and authorities from understanding the true nature of the payments.

3. Intent to Commit Another Crime or to Aid or Conceal the Commission of Another Crime

   • Evidence: The payments were made to influence the outcome of the 2016 election by preventing potentially damaging stories from emerging. This ties the falsification to campaign finance violations.
   • Conclusion: The evidence indicates that the falsification of records was done to conceal the hush money payments, which were made to influence the election and thus relate to another crime (campaign finance violations).

Verdict: Guilty

Explanation

• False Entry in Business Records: The evidence clearly shows that the entries in the business records were false, as they were recorded as legal expenses rather than reimbursements for hush money payments.
• Intent to Defraud: The testimonies of Michael Cohen and David Pecker, along with supporting documents, indicate that there was a deliberate intent to mislead and conceal the true nature of these payments.
• Intent to Commit or Conceal Another Crime: The context of these payments and the effort to keep them hidden suggest that the falsification was done to conceal activities that could be considered campaign finance violations.

Reasonable Doubt Consideration

• Defense Argument: The defense argued that Trump believed the payments were for legitimate legal services and that he relied on his legal team for managing these payments.
• Credibility of Witnesses: While Cohen’s credibility could be questioned due to his past dishonest behavior, his testimony is corroborated by other witnesses and documentary evidence.

Final Decision

Given the evidence presented, the testimonies, and the corroborating documents, the prosecution has met its burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified business records with the intent to defraud and conceal another crime. As a juror, I find the defendant guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree.