Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay over $355 million in a civil fraud case, marking a significant legal blow to the controversial politician. The case, which dates back to allegations of fraudulent practices at Trump University, has finally come to a conclusion with this hefty judgment.
This ruling serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of unethical behavior and dishonest business practices. It also highlights the importance of accountability for those in positions of power and influence.
A New York judge has ordered former President Donald Trump and executives at the Trump Organization to pay over $364 million in a civil fraud case, handing a win to New York Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump and his associates after a three-year investigation.
Arthur Engoron orders Trump and his flagship organization to pay the bulk of that amount: almost $355 million. Trump's two sons and co-defendants, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., are each liable for $4 million. Allen Weisselberg, a former Trump Organization executive, is liable for $1 million. The total is even higher with interest — more than $450 million overall, according to the attorney general's office.
Engoron found Trump liable for fraud, conspiracy and issuing false financial statements and false business records, and he barred him from serving as director of a company in New York for three years. But while he stopped short of dissolving the Trump Organization altogether, Engoron issued a blistering 93-page opinion that painted the former president as unremorseful and highly likely to commit fraud again.
New York state judge just ruled I have to pay a fine for $350m for having built a perfect company," the former president said from Mar-a-Lago on Friday, calling the ruling a political witch hunt.
"It's a very sad day for - in my opinion - the country."
In the ruling on Friday, Judge Engoron referred to previous allegations of wrongdoing in justifying the large amounts he ordered the defendants to pay, writing that they "are likely to continue their fraudulent ways" unless he imposed a "significant" penalty.
He made specific reference to the Trump Organization's conviction in a criminal tax fraud case in 2022, where a jury found it had enriched its top executives with off-the books benefits for more than a decade.
On Friday, the judge overseeing Trump's civil fraud case appointed an additional monitor to oversee the Trump Organization's finances, finding they could not be trusted to follow the law. In the event that Trump refused to hand over payments, the courts would have additional discretion to go after Trump and his businesses.
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