Donald Trump could be indicted next week in New York for allegedly violating campaign finance laws in 2016 by paying $130,000 to silence porn star Stormy Daniels, nearly seven years after the crime, Reuters reported.

But any trial against the former US president would not begin until next year, and legal experts say it could coincide with the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, when Trump seeks a second term in the White House.

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said he expected to be detained on Tuesday and urged his supporters to protest, although a spokesman later said Trump had not been informed of the possible detention.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg presented evidence to a New York grand jury about a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump, according to sources. Trump denied this information, and his lawyer accused Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, of extortion.

If charged, Trump would become the first former US president to face criminal charges.

Polls show Trump ahead of other possible Republican candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

According to Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former chief deputy district attorney in Manhattan, a criminal case in New York takes more than a year to go from indictment to trial, and Trump’s case is far from typical.

That raises the possibility that Trump could be tried in the middle of the 2024 presidential campaign or even after Election Day, although trying a former president or president on state charges would enter uncharted legal waters. If elected, he could not pardon himself.

“It’s so unprecedented that it’s hard for me to say,” Anyifilo said when asked if a judge would try Trump ahead of the election. “I think it’s difficult,” he added.

The New York case is one of several focused on Trump, who also faces an election meddling investigation in Georgia and a string of federal charges related to his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that supporters attempted undo his defeat. .

What is the complexity of the case and how likely is Trump to escape?

Early in his career in real estate, as a TV celebrity, and later in politics, Trump used aggressive counterattacks and delaying tactics when faced with legal challenges.

Trump has accused Bragg, a Democrat, of being politically motivated and may seek to have the charges dismissed on that basis.

Trump will likely pursue other avenues, some of which could create complex legal issues that will take time to resolve.

As president, Trump reimbursed Cohen for payments made to Stormy Daniels, and federal prosecutors who charged Cohen said in court filings that the payments were mistakenly recorded as legal expenses. The New York Times, citing sources, said the most likely charges against Trump could be falsifying business records, usually a misdemeanor.

To charge that as a felony, prosecutors must prove that Trump falsified records to cover up a second crime. One possibility, according to the Times, is that prosecutors will say the payment itself violated state campaign finance law because it was actually an illegal secret donation to support his campaign.

Using election law as a starting point for bogus legal costs is an untested legal theory, experts say, and Trump’s lawyers are sure to challenge it.

Trump could also challenge the fact that the statute of limitations has expired — in which case the statute of limitations is five years. Under New York law, the statute of limitations can be extended if the defendant was out of state, but Trump could argue that he should not run for president.

“There are a lot of possibilities,” said David Shapiro, a former FBI agent, prosecutor and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. “This is a dream case for lawyers.”

Trump will surrender, be indicted and released on bail

In the short term, any indictment would require Trump to travel to the district attorney’s office in central New York to surrender. In cases involving public officials, attorneys for the accused and prosecutors usually agree on a date and time, rather than arresting the person at home.

Trump will be fingerprinted, photographed and taken to court. Experts say he will likely be released on bail and allowed to return home.

Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, told CNBC on Friday that Trump would surrender if he is indicted. If Trump refuses to come voluntarily, prosecutors could seek his extradition from Florida, where he currently lives.

Normally, DeSantis would have to give formal approval to the extradition request as governor, though Florida legal experts said his role would be purely administrative.