Donald Trump will set foot in a New York courthouse on Monday and become the first former US president to stand trial in a criminal case.
He is charged with fabricating his company documents to hide the fact that, just before the 2016 election, he paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the 77-year-old Mr. Trump faces a maximum of four years in jail if convicted, but could avoid jail time and be fined instead.
He has already pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were labelled against him.
Mr Trump’s historic trial will take place against the backdrop of his presidential campaign, and could ultimately see the presumptive Republican nominee become a convicted felon months before voters head to the polls in November.
“It’s unprecedented,” said Alex Keyssar, a professor of history and public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. “There’s been nothing remotely comparable to it.”
The trial, which will start on Monday with jury selection, is anticipated to go for six to eight weeks, with the main focus being on the payment that Mr. Trump made to his longtime fixer, Michael Cohen.
Cohen, 57, claims he was directed to pay Ms Daniels $130,000 (£104,000) in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Mr Trump, something prosecutors have described as an attempt to “unlawfully influence” the 2016 election.
Hush money payments are not illegal. But the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office alleges that Mr Trump committed a crime by improperly recording the reimbursement to Cohen as legal expenses.
In total, he is accused of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. To reach a verdict, all 12 jurors must agree on whether Mr Trump is guilty or not guilty of a specific charge.
The trial in Manhattan is expected to feature testimony from a cast of colourful characters at the heart of the case, including Cohen, Ms Daniels, and Mr Trump’s personal lawyer who went to prison in part over the scandal.
Experts are divided over the strength of the prosecution’s case, which involves a more novel legal approach to bringing felony charges over the falsification of business records.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Mr Trump has made several unsuccessful attempts to delay the jury trial and move it from Manhattan, which is comprised predominantly of Democrats.
His fiery remarks about the case, which he has repeatedly described as politically motivated, led the judge to impose a gag order which bans him from making public comments about people related to the case, including witnesses.