The judge who Trump says ‘HATES’ him: Juan Merchan presiding over hush money case

By William On Apr 5, 2023

New York Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the historic Trump indictment over hush money payments and is now in the crosshairs of the former president due to his previous connection to other Trump-related cases.

Merchan, who regularly handles financial matters, took over the former president’s case due to a rotation of judges assigned to oversee grand juries and all cases arising from them.

On Friday, Trump stated on social media that Merchan “HATE ME” and is the same person who “urged” my 75-year-old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to enter into a “plea deal.”

“He heavily armed Allen, which a judge is not allowed to do, and treated my companies, who did not ‘plead’, VICIOUS. ATTRACTIVE,” Trump added.

Trump went after Merchan’s family in his speech at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday after being charged in New York.

“I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign, and a lot of it.”

Merchan’s 34-year-old daughter, Loren, works for consulting firm Authentic Campaigns, whose past clients include Vice President Kamala Harris, the Biden-Harris campaign, California Governor Gavin Newsom and California Representative Adam Schiff.

Born in Colombia and raised in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, the 60-year-old judge has been working as a government attorney in New York since the 1990s. He attended Baruch College and Hofstra University Law School. He worked as a family judge and assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s office, now prosecuting Trump.

Merchan currently serves on the New York Supreme Court, a felony-level court with branches all over the state.

Merchan was at the center of negotiations in 2021 that led to longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pleading guilty to charges that he skipped taxes because of large benefits he received from the company — such as apartments in Manhattan, a car and school fees .

Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in prison in exchange for testifying against the Trump Organization.

Merchan was at the center of the 2021 negotiations that led to longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pleading guilty to charges that he skipped taxes because of large benefits he received from the company

After Weisselberg testified, Merchan said he was particularly struck by Weisselberg’s wife receiving a one-time payment of $6,000 from the company for a no-show job so she would qualify for Social Security, even though her husband earned lots of money.

High-profile cases of New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan

New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, 60, will preside over former President Donald Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan District Court, but this isn’t the judge’s first high-profile case.

2022: Merchan presided over the case of former chief financial officer of the Trump Org. and the tax fraud trial in which Alan Weisselberg, 75, was convicted of 17 charges, including conspiracy and falsifying business records. Merchan also oversaw the ex-CFO’s sentencing, which included a five-month prison sentence at Rikers Island. The former Trump executive is expected to be released on April 19, 2023, according to the NYC Department of Correction.

2015: Merchan oversaw the trial of four jumpers who sneaked into the One World Trade Center building when it was under construction and launched themselves from the top. After landing, they posted dramatic footage of their descents – which quickly went viral and sparked massive interest in a quirky little-known criminal case.

2012: He ruled on the case of the woman known as the “soccer mom madam” – who made international headlines for allegedly running a call girl ring for millionaires in the Upper East Side.

“So many Americans work so hard in the hope that one day they will be able to benefit from their Social Security contributions,” the judge said.

Merchan said he would have imposed a “tougher sentence” had he not already agreed to the five-month plea deal.

The Trump Organization subsequently went to court, claiming that the company was not benefiting from Weisselberg’s plan and that Trump and his family knew nothing about it.

A jury convicted the company and Weisselberg imposed the maximum fine of $1.6 million.

Also on Merchan’s docket is a case against Steve Bannon, who is accused of defrauding donors who gave money to his fund to build a wall on the southern border.

Bannon has called the case “bullshit,” and Trump pardoning him spared him a similar federal case. The next pre-trial hearing is then scheduled, with some delay, for May 25.

In 2015, Merchan took on a case of four BASE jumpers sneaking into the One World Trade Center when it was still under construction and jumping from above.

After landing, they posted the dramatic footage of their descents, drawing a lot of attention on social media for what would otherwise be a little-known criminal case.

Merchan sentenced them to community service, saying they “sullied the memories of those who jumped on 9/11, not for sport, but because they had to.”