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Stormy Daniels has said she had a sexual encounter with Donald Trump in 2006; Trump denied her account. Years later, a $130,000 payment and its reimbursement became the focus of a New York criminal case. The jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records—not of a crime based on the alleged encounter. The “Shark Week” reference in the original title could not be verified in the sources cited here, so this timeline does not assign it a date or connect it to the encounter.
Trump and Stormy Daniels timeline
The dates below distinguish Daniels’s allegation, reported arrangements and court proceedings. The encounter allegation was disputed; the New York prosecution concerned how reimbursement payments were recorded.
July 2006: Daniels says they met in Lake Tahoe
Daniels and Trump met at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, according to the Associated Press timeline. Daniels alleged that they had a sexual encounter. Trump denied it. CBS’s retrospective describes Daniels’s account as an encounter in Trump’s hotel suite after she says Trump invited her to dinner; that detail is her account, not an independently established finding. Associated Press timeline; CBS timeline.
2011: An interview is recorded but not published
Daniels gave In Touch an interview about the alleged encounter. CBS reports that the magazine did not publish it at the time. CBS timeline.
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2015: Trump announces his campaign; Pecker describes a media arrangement
Trump announced his presidential candidacy in June 2015. In August, Trump, David Pecker and Michael Cohen met at Trump Tower. In AP’s summary of Pecker’s testimony, Pecker said he would act as the campaign’s “eyes and ears,” alerting Cohen to damaging stories so rights could be acquired and publication prevented. This account concerns testimony about the broader campaign context. Associated Press timeline.
2016: Separate story-rights deal and Daniels payment
During the campaign, American Media Inc. (AMI) paid $150,000 for Karen McDougal’s story rights and did not publish her story, according to CBS. That was a separate transaction, not the payment to Daniels. In October 2016, Cohen arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels in exchange for rights to her story and a nondisclosure agreement, CBS reports. CBS timeline.
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2017: Reimbursements are recorded as legal fees
The New York trial court’s December 16, 2024 opinion says Trump reimbursed Cohen with checks he signed and authorized in 2017, while president. The checks and related financial records described the payments as retainer fees for Cohen’s private legal services rather than reimbursement for the Daniels payment. New York County Supreme Court opinion.
April–May 2024: New York trial and guilty verdict
Trump’s New York criminal trial began April 15, 2024. On May 30, the jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, according to the trial court. Those counts concerned business records. They were not a criminal charge that the alleged sexual encounter occurred. New York County Supreme Court opinion.
December 16, 2024: Trial judge rejects immunity-based motion
Justice Juan M. Merchan denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the indictment and set aside the verdict on immunity grounds. The ruling addressed that post-verdict legal motion; it was not a new jury decision about the underlying encounter allegation. New York County Supreme Court opinion.
January 10, 2025: Unconditional discharge
According to AP, Trump received an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025. That left the conviction in place without punishment. Associated Press, August 28, 2026.
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August 28, 2026: Federal judge rejects renewed bid; state appeal remains pending
AP reported that federal judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected Trump’s renewed attempt to move and dismiss the case on immunity grounds. The report said the separate state appeal remained pending as of August 28, 2026. Hellerstein was quoted as saying, “They do not; paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity.” That ruling and quote concern immunity, not whether the alleged 2006 encounter happened. Associated Press, August 28, 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the New York case was—and was not—about
The alleged encounter and the criminal case are separate questions. Daniels’s account of a 2006 encounter was denied by Trump. The New York prosecution focused on business records relating to Cohen’s reimbursements for the $130,000 payment. The jury’s guilty verdict was for falsifying business records in the first degree, not for sexual misconduct.
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What “Shark Week” refers to
The sources cited for this timeline do not establish what the “Shark Week” phrase in the original title refers to, or verify a connection between it and the alleged encounter. Without a reliable account, it would be misleading to assign the phrase a date, scene or role in the events.
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