Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 charges in his porn star hush money trial.
He is the first former US president to be criminally convicted and faces sentencing on July 11 - four days before the start of the Republican National Convention where he will be formally adopted as the party’s candidate for president.
Trump has been found to have falsified business records to conceal payments over an alleged affair with the porn star Stormy Daniels.
Speaking after the verdict, for the first time as a convicted felon, Trump said: “This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt”.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people," adding: "I am a very innocent man."
His reference to November is about the forthcoming US presidential election.
The historic case is the first time a former US president faced potential jail time in a court case, though it is unlikely he will end up behind bars, despite the guilty verdicts.
As a first-time offender for a nonviolent crime Trump is more likely to face a fine or be put on probation.
He could be placed under home confinement or subjected to a curfew rather than imprisoned and leading Republicans have already stated that not would stop him campaigning in the upcoming election against Joe Biden.
The jury returned their 34 verdicts after deliberating for nine-and-a-half hours. As the verdicts were read, the former president sat stone-faced in court looking down.
Trump is expected to quickly appeal and will face an awkward dynamic as he seeks to return to the campaign trail as a convicted felon.
There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he's expected to hold fundraisers next week.
It will likely take several months for Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, to decide whether to sentence Trump to prison.
After the conviction, Trump travelled in a convoy of black jeeps to dinner in New York City.
A spokesperson for US president Joe Biden, who will face Trump in the election in November, said in a statement: "No one is above the law."
"Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain," said Michael Tyler, the Biden-Harris campaign's communications director.
Alvin Bragg, the New York district attorney who brought the case against Trump, said in a press conference after the verdicts that his team "followed the facts and the law without fear or favour"."While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today at this verdict, in the same manner as every other case," he said.Michael Cohen, Trump's former fixer and a key witness in the trial, said: "Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law.
"While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters."
Members of Trump’s family rallied around him. Ivanka Trump posted a story of her as a child sitting on her father's lap. The photo was captioned with a brief message: "I love you dad."
Eric Trump, the middle son who was Trump's only family member present in the courtroom, also wrote on X that the date of the verdict may be remembered as the day his father won the election.
The guilty verdict represents a stunning legal reckoning for Trump after years of criminal investigations.
It revolved around a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels who said it was in exchange for not going public with her claim about a 2006 sexual encounter with the real estate tycoon.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records at his company in connection with the alleged scheme to hide potentially embarrassing stories about him during his 2016 presidential election campaign.
The Republican nominee said the payments to his former fixer Michael Cohen were for legitimate legal services. He also denied the alleged extramarital sexual encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.The 12-person jury began their deliberations on Wednesday after hearing hours of testimony from both sides though the former President did not give evidence.The jurors, a diverse cross section of Manhattan residents and professional backgrounds, often appeared riveted by testimony, including from Cohen and Daniels. Many took notes and watched intently as witnesses answered questions.
Trump and his supporters in the party have railed against the prosecution and claimed the case was politically motivated throughout the process.
Now a verdict has been reached, it is expected the judge will lift his gag order barring the Republican presidential candidate from speaking publicly about witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case.
The former US president has complained about the gag order throughout the trial and when Justice Juan Merchan removes it, Trump can return to lashing out in public remarks and on social media, say legal experts who have been following the trial.
