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No, former President Donald Trump didn’t ‘blow off his post-sentencing probation report’
If Your Time is short
- Former President Donald Trump hasn’t been sentenced following his recent Manhattan falsified documents trial. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11.
- Will Scharf, Trump’s lawyer, said Trump will cooperate with the presentence investigation.
Former President Donald Trump was convicted May 30 of multiple felony counts in a historic Manhattan criminal case over falsified documents.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, which means a recent Threads post reporting on what Trump did after his sentencing would require a time machine.
"Trump blew off his post-sentencing probation report," the June 3 Threads post said. "An ordinary felon would be slammed in jail for that. He ran when he discovered there was a drug test involved."
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Before he decides Trump’s punishment, Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, will consult a presentence report made by probation officers, according to the New York Unified Court System.
Such a report, which makes a recommendation for sentencing, comes after a defendant’s conviction and before sentencing. Probation officers — or a social worker or psychologist working for the New York City Probation Department — interview criminal defendants and check their criminal records to create these reports. The probation officers may also talk to any related crime victims, the arresting officer and the defendant's family and friends.
A probation officer interviews defendants and checks their criminal record as part of a presentence report that the judge will use to decide defendants’ punishments.
The New York Unified Court System and the New York City Department of Probation didn’t immediately respond to PolitiFact’s questions about the case.
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But we found no credible news reports or court filings that a probation officer has been assigned to Trump, that such information has been made public. We also found no reports or filings to say Trump skipped an interview with a probation officer or did so because he feared a drug test.
After his conviction, a court clerk gave Trump a "court order for investigation and report," directing him to "report immediately to the department of probation," Business Insider said.
That doesn’t mean Trump then went to the probation department. His lawyers can call the department to schedule an interview, a former Manhattan prosecutor told the publication.
Trump attorney Will Scharf, meanwhile, said June 2 during a ABC News interview that Trump will appeal his conviction but cooperate with the presentence investigation in the meantime.
Martin Horn, a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation and professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told PolitiFact a probation officer will be assigned to conduct a presentence investigation on behalf of the judge within 10 days of the guilty verdict, if one hasn’t already been assigned in Trump’s case.
The presentence report must be completed 24 hours before sentencing, he said.
Horn said he hadn’t heard of Trump not complying with the presentence investigation. And that’s not something the probation department would normally make public, he said.
We rate claims Trump "blew off his post-sentencing probation report" False.
Our Sources
Threads post, June 3, 2024
PolitiFact, Trump guilty in NY trial: Can he still run for president or vote as a convicted felon?, May 30, 2024
Business Insider, Trump must 'immediately' schedule a pre-sentence interview with NYC probation. Playing hooky may add to his legal woes, June 1, 2024
ABC News, Trump attorney says legal team will appeal conviction, comply with pre-sentence probe, June 2, 2024
Politico, Trump defiant — and a little resigned — as he awaits sentencing, June 2, 2024
Politico, To Avoid Prison, Trump May Have to Convince a Probation Officer, June 5, 2024
The New York Unified Court System, Pre-sentence report, visited June 4, 2024
Interview with Martin Horn, former commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation and professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, June 5, 2024
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No, former President Donald Trump didn’t ‘blow off his post-sentencing probation report’
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