Di main people for Donald Trump shut up-money trial

Wen former president Donald Trump go sidon for di defence table for di wood-panelled Manhattan courtroom for di next several weeks, some characters wey you fit say dem carry dem come from one Hollywood blockbuster go follow am dey dia.

E get one long list of interesting potential witnesses - one adult film actress, one fixer wey turn star witness, one loyal money man wey dem convict of tax fraud, one gossip newspaper publisher, plus odas – wey dem fit call to testify.

One white-collar defence attorney wey don bet im career on defending Trump na im dey lead di former president defence team.

Manhattan first black district attorney don gada crack team of Manhattan goment lawyers wey dey familiar wit Oga Trump and im organisation.

And di entire case dey under one ogbonge New York Supreme Court judge wey sabi Trump courtroom troubles and behaviour wella.

Trump dey face 34 charges of faking business records to hide shut up-money wey im bin pay one woman wey im allegedly bin get affair wit.

Here na all di main characters you need to know as di first former president for US history dey face trial to defendant for criminal case.

New York judge

Justice Juan Merchan – di ogbonge New York judge – im bin don spend time before wit Trump for Manhattan courtroom.

Na im bin judge di Trump Organization tax fraud case wey lead to heavy fine and jail time for di company chief financial officer, Alan Weisselberg.

E mean say di judge understand Trump and im courtroom tactics to delay, deny and deflect.

Dat behaviour dey likely to irritate Justice Merchan. While im fit get soft voice, im get di reputation of no-nonsense jurist.

Already, im bin don shut Trump up one time during jury selection.

Meanwhile, Trump claim for social media say "im never ever see judge wey confuse like dis one", and im don attack Justice Merchan daughter – wey dey work wit one law company wey dey work wit Democrats.

Dem don bar Trump since, from speaking about di judge family.

Manhattan goment lawyers

Alvin Bragg - di Manhattan district attorney – become di first black man to lead Manhattan District Attorney office wen dem bin elect am for November 2021.

Im take over di investigation of Trump and announce say im office go bring felony crime charges against di former president last April.

Bragg adopt one new legal theory wey go turn any offence, falsifying business records, into crime.

Im bin allege say Trump change di records to cover up second crime - violation of New York campaign-finance laws.

Im office allege say Trump campaign bin try to hide di affair from voters before di 2016 election.

Law experts dey get double mind weda di gamble go work, but Bragg don gad togeda experience team of goment lawyer wey bin dey very familiar wit Trump to make di case.

Joshua Steinglass - Trump trial goment lawyer - help lead di prosecution of Trump Organization, wey lead to di conviction, and now dem add am to dis team.

Oga Steinglass, wey go direct di goment lawyers efforts for trial, don try high-profile murder and manslaughter cases plus oda violent crimes before.

Di prosecution team also include Susan Hoffinger, di chief office investigations division wey bin work on Trump Organization tax case before; Christopher Conroy, wey don work on di investigations of Trump di longest; and Rebecca Mangold, goment lawyer wey specialise on economic crimes.

Former President defence team

Todd Blanche - Trump top trial lawyer - na former federal prosecutor, registered Democrat and im dey live for New York City, but don carry all dat one throw inside dirty.

Blanche leave very correct position wey im dey work as partner for one Wall Street law firm, become Republican and move to Florida to take di biggest client of im career – Oga Trump.

Im bin be colleague of Alvin Bragg some time back, di lawyer wey dey prosecute di former president, Blanche go now sit on di oda side of di courtroom from am.

Dis go only be for di second time. Im bin only serve as defence lawyer for one oda criminal case wey bin go trial.

Susan Necheles - Trump lawyer – don represent Trump for cases since 2021, but she get long history of defending politicians wey enta trouble, real estate developers and organised-crime figures - like Venero Mangano, wey be underboss of di Genovese crime family wit di nickname Benny Eggs.

She bin represented di Trump Organization wen dem find am guilty of criminal tax fraud plus fine dem $1.6 million fine for December 2022.

Gedalia Stern, na partner for Necheles law firm, and Emil Bove, na former federal giment lawyer, both of dem na also Trump defence team.

Potential witnesses

Stormy Daniels - adult film star – meet Oga Trump for 2006 for one celebrity golf tournament for Nevada.

She bin dey 27-years-old dat time, but Daniels - real name Stephanie Clifford – don already become rising star for di adult film industry.

She claim say Trump ask her for sex in offensive manner, and di two have sex soon afta introduction.

Trump deny say e no happun, but Daniels allege say dem give her $130,000 (£105,000) shut up-money wey Michael Cohen - lawyer for Trump Organization – pay her just before di 2016 election to keep quiet about di affair.

Since her allegation become public, she become frequent target of Trump and im aupporters, but she say she dey committed to testifying against di former president.

Michael Cohen - di fixer – begin work as Trump personal lawyer for 2006.

Im bin plead guilty to federal campaign finance crimes for 2018 over paying di shut up-money to Ms Daniels, but im insist say im dey send di money on Trump direction.

Im allege say di former president bin try to cover wetin happun and avoid scandal by repaying Cohen through series of payments wey dem record as legal expenses.

Trump call im former friend a liar, and im legal team attempt to block Cohen testimony.

E get one time, Cohen say im go take bullet for di former president, but im later become key witness for investigations of Trump - including Robert Mueller investigate into allegation say Trump campaign gang wit Kremlin.

Allen Weisselberg - di convicted money man – im go be regular face for di criminal trial, though im fit no testify.

Di former chief financial officer of di Trump Organisation, Weisselberg allegedly arrange for Trump to reimburse di shut up-money payments and help cover dem up.

Weisselberg no be stranger to di former president legal troubles.

For August 2022, di Trump Organization executive plead guilty to tax fraud, di falsification of records plus oda crimes.

Na Manhattan district attorney investigation of Trump Organization lead to di charge.

As part of im plea deal, im served 100 days for prison, and also agree to testify for di ongoing case against Trump company.

Im later testify for New York civil trial against Trump, but im go need to plead guilty to two charges of lying under oath soon afta.

Court sentence am to five further months in prison on 10 April.

David Pecker - di tabloid publisher - na former CEO of American Media Inc. (AMI), di parent company of National Enquirer.

Wen im bin lead di gossip newspaper, im bin pursue practice of "catch-and-kill" to support Trump 2016 presidential run.

Im do am by buying di rights to stories wey put Trump for bad light.

Im go den refuse to publish dem, diafore effectively suppressing di damaging information.

Karen McDougal – di Playboy model – claim say im bin get illegal affair wit Trump for 2006 and 2007, wey di former president deny.

She say American Media Inc. di parent company of National Enquirer, pay her $150,000 for her story. E force her to keep quiet about so call encounter.

Dino Sajudin - na former Trump Tower doorman – im fit take di stand.

Trump team allegedly pay am shut up-money too, after im try to sell one story to di National Enquirer about one rumour say Trump get pikin out of wedlock.