NEW YORK — The judge in Donald Trump's criminal trial fined him US$1,000 (S$1,350) and held him in contempt of court for a 10th time on Monday (May 6) for violating a gag order and warned that further violations could land the former president in jail.

Justice Juan Merchan said the nine US$1,000 fines he had imposed previously did not seem to be deterring the wealthy business mogul from violating the order, which bars him from speaking publicly about the jurors and witnesses in the first criminal trial of a former US president.

"I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary," Merchan said at the start of the trial's 12th day before the jury entered.

Imprisonment would be an unprecedented step in the historic trial, which stems from a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 election.

After Merchan's ruling, jurors heard testimony from former Trump employees that could bolster prosecutors' case that Trump falsified business records to cover up the hush money payment.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing.

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