Justice Juan Merchan’s sentence of unconditional discharge for Trump carries no jail time, probation or fines. Trump had faced up to four years in prison.

Trump attends his sentencing hearing with Judge Juan Merchan following jury conviction in his hush money case.

The rare and lenient sentence, which will spare President-elect Donald J. Trump jail time, was used to address his unusual status.

According to New York State law, an unconditional discharge means that Trump will have the felonies on his official record but will not face jail time, fines or probation for his actions. However, it does not mean that the President-elect has been exonerated, since that would mean finding he was not guilty of a crime.

Donald Trump’s historic criminal conviction ended without penalty in a Manhattan courtroom Friday, as the president-elect was sentenced to an unconditional discharge for his conviction on felony charges that he paid hush money to an adult film actress to conceal their affair as he ran for president in 2016.

President-elect Donald Trump will enter the White House this month as a felon, but will serve no jail time under a sentence handed down this morning in New York for his criminal conviction in a hush-money trial that angered him and his supporters but didn’t prevent him from reclaiming the presidency.

During the sentencing, Justice Juan Merchan said he was keenly aware of the unique set of circumstances before him and the country.

The New York judge who presided over Donald Trump’s hush money case on Friday sentenced the president-elect to an “unconditional discharge,” meaning he is now a convicted felon in the eyes of New York state law but will face no further penalties.