Donald Trump, a former US President has been indicted on criminal charges emerging from an alleged hush money payment to an adult film actress, Stormy Daniels.
A jury in New York voted to indict Trump over possible offences connected to a $130,000 (£105,000) payment to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election campaign.
This alleged was made in exchange for Daniels' quietness about an alleged sexual encounter she said she had with Trump a decade earlier.
Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges in court, even as he makes a quest to retake the White House come 2024.
He, said he was "completely innocent" and called the indictment "political persecution", with his lawyers saying they will "vigorously fight" it.
The Manhattan district attorney's investigation centered on accusations of money paid to Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom Trump allegedly fired would go public with claims they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.
However, Federal prosecutors have said Trump's lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, made the payment to Daniels at Trump's direction.
Michael has said Trump directed hush money payments to Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, and also to McDougal. Trump has denied having affairs with either woman.
He said: "The Democrats have lied, cheated, and stolen in their obsession with trying to 'Get Trump,' but now they've done the unthinkable - indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant election interference."
"Never before in our Nation's history has this been done. I believe this witch-hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden." He added.
Though Trump was expected to surrender to authorities next week, though the details were still being worked out, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Investigation reveals that Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation by the district attorney, Alvin Bragg.
His office has spent nearly five years investigating Trump and the grand jury has been hearing its evidence since January.
Despite speculation in recent weeks that the former American president was due to be indicted, Trump urged his supporters to protest against the authorities if he was detained.
"I did absolutely nothing wrong," he said, before criticizing a "corrupt, depraved, and weaponized justice system".
Other ongoing cases Trump's faces include a Georgia election interference probe and two federal investigations into his role in the 6 January 2001 insurrection at the US Capitol.